Becoming
by blossom2day
Summary: "Why are you always alone?" Butch queried, causing me to freeze where I stood. "...Because." I closed my eyes, "That's how I like it." ...Or so I say. The truth was, I didn't want to be alone anymore. I wanted to find my niche. Butch smirked, "So do I."
1. My Own Zone

_Um...hey everyone! So! As you all know, I basically love writing Powerpuff girl fanfics! My most popular ones are Stolen Without A Trace and Angelica! Check them out if you haven't already! However, both of those featured BoomerxBubbles and BrickxBlossom... and I feel it's only fair to do ALL the couples. Soooo...this story will be dedicated to ButcxButtercup! Loads of you love them, and I plan to weave a very interesting tale here for you. I hope you all enjoy and leave lots of reviews for me! Please take the time to leave a review because I definitely will respond to you! I love my fans! So...on with the story! =)_

DICLAIMER: I do NOT own the PPG, the RRB, Townsville, or anything else...unless I made it up and you don't recognize it. ;)

**BTW: The PPG and RRB have NORMAL features and the PPG are 18. The RRB are 17.**

**Becoming**

**Chapter 1: My Own Zone**

**P.O.V.: Buttercup**

I sat down in the usual spot.

I looked around twice before letting out a deep sigh of relief.

This was my place. This was my area.

It was mine, and mine alone, and it was where I went whenever I needed time to think or be alone. I loved this place.

Grass underneath my feet, trees surrounding my vision, and a sweet preview of the starry night sky no one else could find in this damn town. With all the lights on in Townsville, it's almost impossible to see these stars. But I can.

The trees surround me almost like a circle, and they're huge. They're old too, and their trunks are big. Yet even with all the leaves they provide, if you find the exact and perfect spot to lie down, you can still see the stars. It's as if this area, this sanctuary, was shaped just for me, in a perfect circle. MY circle of grass, MY circle of trees, and MY circle of stars.

I looked up while I lied down and could see them now- they were shining so bright. It took me out of my problems and placed me into space.

A slight smirk graced my lips as I felt the sting in my side dissipate, as if it weren't even there.

'_You say you're tough, and yet nature still gets to you, like usual, eh Buttercup?_' I think to myself with a chuckle. It was true.

Nature had a weird calming effect on my usual wild side. Maybe it's **because** I'm so wild that I fit **in **with the wild.

Just a theory mind you.

However, I couldn't stay in this beautiful place long before I heard my cell phone go off. Again.

With a pained sigh, I reached for my pocket and pilled it out wearily. I had received another text message from Blossom, surely enough.

_Where are you? _It read in a panicked tone, _We're waiting for you, so get a move on!_

Calmly, I typed back: _No._

I wasn't leaving. In fact, Blossom was the last person I wanted to see right now.

A frown formed its way onto my lips as I tossed the phone onto the grass without a care.

I shouldn't be here right now. I shouldn't be enjoying myself, like usual.

My life is not my own. Everyday, I pretend to be someone...I'm frankly not. And I hate it. I'm tired of it. I want to break free and let go...

I don't know how to explain this to you actually. I'm not sure how to explain it to anyone, really.

For the past couple of years, weird impulses have arisen inside me. Risky impulses...to do dangerous things. Things a Powerpuff would **not** do.

Then again, who says I'm a Powerpuff anymore?

I feel like that group died a long time ago. About 8 years ago, actually. Once we all hit puberty, that group kind of split up.

But we were still heroines, still called to action. We just...weren't the _same._

**Nothing felt the same anymore.**

We barely talked- we all had our own separate niches. Bubbles was the social butterfly of us three and had over 4,000 friends on Facebook. Blossom was the scholar who hung out with future doctors, lawyers, and business men.

And me? Huh, well me...

I don't know **what **I am. Frankly, I feel like a freak. An outcast. A loner.

I don't have many friends. In fact, I barely have any at all. I survive on my own and without anyone's help. I'm self dependent.

But it hurts...deep down. It really does. I may not show my hurt in tears, but I show it in bitterness, in anger. I hate myself but don't know what to do about it. I have no clue what I want to be in this world, or what I'm going to do after graduation either- which is in only a few short months. I didn't even apply to any colleges yet...

I'm the sibling everyone can't stand because I can't be sweet and kind all the time. I also can't be bothered with people in general and have a nasty temper that often gets me into nasty situations...like...right now.

The Professor hired a psychiatrist for me. They give me sessions every Wednesday and Saturday. Like I have nothing **else** better to do than talk to a random person I don't know right now about my 'feelings'. Screw that!

It was where I was supposed to be right now... instead I'm here, in the Townsville woods. In my area. My place. The only place I feel whole.

I hear my phone vibrate again and just know it's Blossom. Closing my eyes, I sigh as calmly as possible and pick it up without getting up from the ground.

_What do you mean 'no'? Are you kidding me? The Professor is paying good money for you to see this woman- now get your butt over here! _

Ah, Blossom was truly 'everything nice'. Wasn't she?

With a growl, I didn't even bother to text her back...instead, I close that conversation and open up a new message.

I'm sending it to my friend Alanna, a tough chick with a lot of soul and heart to her. My best friend too.

_That party still on for today?_ I text her. It doesn't take her long to respond. She's an expert texter.

_Yeah. Still on. It's happening now, everyone's here. Why?_

A devious grin spreads across my face at that. Her parties are great- if only people didn't stare at me the way they did whenever I went to one.

_I'm coming. _I text her, adding a devilish smiley face to the mix.

She respond back with exclamation points and a grinning smiley.

I get up from my spot and stretch myself out, giving one last look up at the stars. They twinkled endlessly like usual. They reminded me of the fire I once had in my soul that shined so fiercely. I wondered if I still twinkled like that, or if I burnt out a long, long time ago.

Either way, I knew one thing was for sure- tonight would be a night to remember.

I could feel it in my boots...

**P.O.V.: Butch**

Seems like forever since I've been here. In Townsville.

My brothers and I used to terrorize people like crazy in these streets, in these buildings. We would laugh about it until we couldn't laugh anymore, until it hurt to laugh. And then we'd probably laugh some more.

Summer nights were spent in a daze without parental guidance or teachings. We'd do as we pleased when we pleased. No one could over ruled us.

Wintery days were spent playing video games, eating high calorie junk food and burping our brains out. No one could tell us otherwise.

We were the masters of pleasure. The masters of ourselves. We didn't care what others thought about us, and if we did, it was only because we wanted them to think we were the most evil little boys on the face of the earth. That was how we rolled...

That was what life was like in Townsville. My childhood days.

But that was all smoke to the wind now, and none of it seemed like it ever even existed.

For the past years or so, I've been confined, tortured, and beaten by my own game.

NOTHING has been fun. Nothing has been free.

My brothers and I went our separate ways a few years ago, in search of new things to do. We left here to grow up, and we planned to get bigger and bader before returning to Townsville in a grand, off the wall presentation. We planned to make a huge home coming by bashing in the heads of the Powerpuff girls...and everyone else in this city.

But you know, things don't always work out so smoothly.

Those years away spent getting 'bigger and bader' were years of change. Change for us all. We settled down a bit, we didn't fight as much, and were more stable where we decided to live. Boomer found a girlfriend and dated her for the longest time. The last time I heard from him, they were still dating and going off to Spain.

Brick had his fair share of dates, but none seemed to work out too well for him. Instead, he dedicated most of his time in research facilities and worked hard to become some sort of scientist. I forget what he does, but he's currently in Peru right now...or was it Hawaii? Ahh...whatever.

All I know is he's doing some sort of research to find this 'Death Daisy flower' or something...rumor has it it's supposed to make you 'live forever'.

Yeah. **Right.**

And me? Well...me.

I'm a loner. Always have been. I've dated way too many girls to count and felt nothing for each of them. Girls label me a player all the time, but that's not how I feel. I'm trying to find my niche...to find my purpose. I thought I could find love, but I couldn't. It keeps evading me, for whatever reason.

I can't even find a purpose. I don't have a special talent other than fighting- and even that sucks because I can't compete with anyone. I'll give them a black eye by just slapping them.

These humans are too fragile for me. I try, but nothing works. The best thing I was good at was being bad...and that's really how I feel. Honestly.

But there was a demeaning factor of being back here while my brothers were in exotic new worlds. I couldn't seem to put the past behind me. Instead, I fed off it, breathed it in, and lived from it.

It wasn't healthy, but it was all I had.

No love, no niche, no luck. Just memories...

With a dull sigh, I sat on top of a roof, my mind in a fog. It was dark outside and the spring time air was just chilly enough to make my leather jacket stay on my back.

Things had changed here. Somehow, it seemed quieter. Less active.

It also seemed less welcoming. I wonder who the mayor was now. The other one wouldn't still be here, right...?

Ah well. Screw it. I'll just do what we all originally planned to do, but didn't do.

Come back to this town with a bang, that's what!

I'll let this town see what real evil is...give them a good reminder...

But...why?

Those words have been thrust into my head as of late. I've been wondering ... **why **I feel the way I do.

Why do I only want to destroy? **Why **can't I find my niche? And ... why do I feel so **damn unhappy** all the time?

If I didn't motivate myself to get out of bed in the morning, for some strange reason, I feel like I wouldn't. Like life- my life- has not meaning.

Some days... it's just terrible.

But I had to go on. Obviously, there must be a reason as to why I came back here. A evil reason, a good reason, I can't tell yet.

All I know is that I'm going to find my niche. And soon.

I stood up on the rooftop and let my eyes travel towards the sky. I couldn't see the stars all too well- the town's lights blocked them from view.

But...there was **something** in the sky...what was it? It was definitely moving.

Maybe it was an alien space ship. That'd be a sight to see. I'd take a picture on my phone and send it to Brick- he'd eat that up right away.

He's into aliens and life on other planets...not surprising, eh?

But no...it wasn't an alien. Deep down, I knew it couldn't have been. Deep down...I had a feeling right from the start what it was.

A smirk and quickening of my heart suddenly fell upon me as I stared at it, the bright green streak the only thing catching my eye now.

"Buttercup."

_Okay! There you have it! One chapter, a short one too, towards our new story! It was short, but I feel like there was a lot of subtext to this chapter, which I liked. I'm all about inner feelings and happenings- not so much about the obvious. I hope you all liked it! Should I continue? Please review! Thanks...I appreciate it! Um...sorry for any spelling mistakes! =) _


	2. The Party

_AWESOME! Chapter 2 of Becoming! =) This one will be a bit more quick paced than the other, and perhaps a bit longer too. We'll see! I hope you like it! Just so you know- by the way- this story is going to be very sentimental- but in a different way. It's 'sensual'. I can't explain it any other way, to be honest. LOL, well, enjoy and review please! Thanks...um...On with the story! =D_

DICLAIMER: I do NOT own the PPG, the RRB, Townsville, or anything else...unless I made it up and you don't recognize it. ;)

**BTW: The PPG and RRB have NORMAL features and the PPG are 18. The RRB are 17. The RRB do things most 17 year olds wouldn't because they are who they are and have super powers (if any of you wondered why Brick was doing 'research in Peru' lOl. But you already knew that, eh? =p**

**Becoming**

**Chapter 2: The Party**

**P.O.V.: Buttercup**

_Somewhere in the past, there was once a little girl. She had on a light green dress and innocent green eyes. She tried to be tough and strong, but deep down, she was like every other little girl. She had her sensitive side too, and she had her limits._

_What were her limits? _

_She could do anything she pleased, to whom she pleased. She could kick but and get away with it. She could command the skies like no one else ever could. She could take on any physical challenge, small or big, hard or simple. Yet..._

_Yes. There was a yet. _

_There was something she could never grip entirely. This something...was love._

_What was love? Love was something she cared for the least. Romantic love never struck her as something that might even be remotely possible until she turned 12...until she was a pre-teen._

_Then, everything slowly started to change. She saw people acting differently. Boys and girls didn't run away from each other anymore because they thought the other had cooties. Instead, they clung to one another._

_Boys didn't mock girls as much anymore, but instead complimented them and courted them. Girls didn't shy away from boys as much, instead, they batted their eyes at them and twirled their hair._

_That was what that little girl noticed at 12. And that little girl... still so innocent and new at these_ _things... was willing to take on any challenge..._

_Including the most dangerous ones of them all...including the ones she could never take back. No matter how many times she cried about it or ran away from it._

_That little girl died a long time ago..._

_That little girl was me. _

_**Buttercup Utonium.**_

...

I fixed my leopard print shirt and leather skirt once I landed outside of Alanna's house. Her house was very nice and had a cool lawn with a bunch of flowers on it. The nighttime made the lawn look mystical- a lot like Alanna herself. Alanna's house was modern and big. The whole house was white and had these huge windows. You could easily see what was going on inside the house- which was a house **party.**

Normally, I'm not one for house parties with my classmates. Too many weird looks, too many snippy remarks behind my back. However...

I felt risky and carefree right now. I felt like I wanted to shake off the dust and try something knew. Who cares if my classmates don't like me? Screw them! Alanna thought I was cool. That's all that mattered.

I walked towards her front door and, not surprisingly, saw it was unlocked. Alanna's parents are extremely trusting people, and they usually don't lock their front door for shit. Which was cool whenever I needed a place to hitchhike to at night. Alanna's parents were probably the most amazingly laid back people in the **world.** They loved me to death for some strange reason and treated me like a daughter- just like they treat Alanna. It was really...sweet.

There was also no doubt Alanna's parents were definitely aware of this party** and were totally fine with.**

You have to understand something. Mr and Mrs. Hooberstank are rich...and they're also extremely spiritual. Not religious- but spiritual. They're into different types of thinking...just like Alanna is. And even though Alanna is different, everyone still loves her. It's amazing how many people this girl knows, and how many people accept her.

She and I aren't unalike. We're actually extremely similar. Maybe that's why people hate me so much. Maybe because they see how close we are, and they're all jealous.

Oh well, beggars can't be choosers.

Walking into the house, ear thumping music is pumping from the back of the house. Hearing it makes my heart beat race a little, and I have to remember to stay calm. I can't get too worked up here. I have to remind myself no one likes me and that it's best to lay a little low...

But to still enjoy myself. Can't forget that. I **need** some fun in my life.

Taking a breath in and closing my eyes to stabilize myself, I force myself to smile and open my eyes. People are already looking at me, scowling, mumbling about me under their breath...

I don't care. I march straight on past them.

I imagine my feet matching the beat of the music, and with each step, I feel more empowered, as more heads are turned to look at me in subtle shock and disgust.

They're only feeding my power. Only feeding my strength. Let them look.

With a smirk on my ruby red lips, I finally make my way into the kitchen. Unfailing, I find Alanna here. I fold my arms and lean myself against the doorframe casually, staring straight at her. I'm waiting for her to notice I'm here. Shouldn't take long.

She sat at the table set up in the middle of her kitchen, and she had cards laying down on that table. These cards were playing cards, but I knew she wasn't using them for playing Goldfish. No, no. Alanna's more sophisticated and complex than that...

With a seductive smirk on her coral pink lips, she looks at the people around her, her hazel eyes piercing each of them magnetically, making them want more.

"Alright. Who's the really good kisser in the room?" She queries, "I'm sensing it's a girl too."

I can't help but hang my head and snicker lowly at that one. Damn...she was talking about me!

This girl was good. Really good. She was a psychic, if you were wondering, and this was her traditional way of showing it. She'd host a party, and at these parties, she'd set up a group of people to play a 'game' with her. In this game, she'd set a deck of cards down onto the table and stare at them. She's told me that these cards help her pick out the traits of the people around her randomly. She says the cards help her concentrate.

Once she picks up a trait or a secret from the cards, she asks who this secret/ trait belongs to. If the person steps forward and admits it's them, no matter how embarrassing the trait or secret is, Alanna will allow them to take a shot. Whoever gets drunk the quickest has to step out of the game and loses! The last one standing in the game wins and gets a free, private psychic reading from Alanna!

Cool idea eh? I love it, but I've only seen her do it once... because I've only been to one of her parties. Not counting this one.

When she hearsme speak up, her eyes automatically zoom to mine, finding me instantly in the room. Her dark brown eyebrows perk up and she looks genuinely surprised for a moment. Then, a sudden smileformed on her coral pink lips and she got up from her seat. Everyone looked over at me at that exact moment.

"Buttercup. You made it!" She exclaimed excitedly, her voice reminding me of a beautiful exotic trip to the Caribbeans.

"That I did!" I winked with a smirk, "Didn't think I'd let ya down, now did ya?" I snicker, and she immediately makes her way over to me, her arms outstretched in welcome.

"No, I didn't! But I'm still excited to actually **see** you here! Since you stepped forward, have a shot. Glad to have you join the game." She laughs heartily, motioning me towards the shots on her table.

"Don't mind if I do!" I exclaim with eagerness.

I smile big and grab one, chucking it down my throat. It burns a little, but it goes down good. I let out a relieved sigh.

"Ah...that hit the spot!"I admit happily, my eyes beaming and she just chuckles at that and shakes her head at me, her eyes scanning me.

Since Alanna was psychic, I wondered if she saw more than I wanted her to see. I wondered if she saw the dead soul inside me. I wondered what she thought of if she did...

But Alanna wasn't one to judge. She's **amazingly** open to these things, much like her parents. After all, her whole family were Druids after all.

You've never heard of Druids before? Well...let me enlighten you then.

Druidry has been around for many years, it's an ancient 'religion' if you will, but it's more based on spirituality...and nature. Extremely so with nature. The Druids are so deeply in touch with nature that Alanna claims she can even speak to it, and the voices of nature- such as the four elements, plants, and animals- will answer her.

It's not too far fetched, considering I've got super powers and Bubbles can talk to animals...sooo...why not, eh?

"Of course it did. You're Buttercup." She snickers at me. I give her a friendly death glare and she gives one right back to me.

Don't ask.

Alanna and I have a amazing connection, albeit she's much more civilized and calmer than me. She's amazingly wacky and totally wild when she wants to be- but in a good way. She knows when to tone it down too...and sometimes, she's just plain mysterious and mystical. She's a extremely sensitive person and is very sensual as well. She enjoys being kind and showing affection, but knows when to take a stand and be in charge too. She was the perfect balance...of everything.

And she was drop dead beautiful. She had tan skin that had a beautiful golden tint to it that no faux tanner could ever produce. Her eyes were always sexy, mysterious, and sultry little slits of hazel with thick lashes that screamed 'hotty'. She also had these plump lips she adored bathing in lipsticks of exotic colors, like coral pink, hot pink, red, or even orange. She could pull it off expertly with her skin tone. Lets not forget that hair of hers!

Alanna is **known **for her hair. She has this amazing mass of dark brown hair that goes all the way down to her waist- much like Blossom's. Only hers is a beautiful chocolate brown that has a slightly red and golden tint to it. She often has her hair in it's natural waves, but sometimes she'll straighten it just for styling.

And no homo, but this girl's body was amazing. I wondered how she kept it in such amazing shape! She had an hour glass figure and everything...

I wasn't bad myself, mind you. I had a strong, solid built. But most guys like their girls soft and less strong than them so... I wasn't the ideal target for most men. Oh well, screw them...

I **hate **men. And trust me, I don't like girls either. Both are fucking ass holes...

Except Alanna. She's cool...cause she's real.

"So, going to play this game or go off and dance?" Alanna queries gently, going to sit back down at the table. She gently pushes her long mass of hair off her shoulders and onto her back, revealing her pretty purple halter top and short skirt with mini heels to match.

"Nah, going to have a look around. Is that okay? I wanna see if anyone I know is here..."

Alanna knew what I meant when I said that, and she frowned instantly. She hid it well though by looking down and shuffling whatever cards she had left in her deck that weren't being used for her psychic little game.

"I see. Alright then. I'll be here if you need me. Enjoy yourself girl." I could hear the warning in her voice as I nodded once and walked away.

I didn't really want to leave her, but I felt all those eyes on me, and I knew it was hurting her rep to be seen with me. Of course, she was too nice to say that...

But I knew what those back stabbing friends of hers would do if I stuck around her the whole night. They'd start saying shit about me and her. Things that might lead to a good ass whopping from yours truly...

But erm...

Enough of that.

There was another reason I left...

My heart beat quickened a bit as I searched the house for him. I could feel my side throb a little bit, as if the pain wanted to come back. I didn't let it, but I knew it would eventually. I didn't care. I had to find him- had to make sure he wasn't here...

But I didn't see him. I didn't see him anywhere, and it drove me crazy. Somehow, I just **knew** he was here, hiding from me. Remembering me.

And it made my heart burn with so much angst, so much **hate** that I could barely swallow or blink right. He deserved to die. Better yet, I need to kill him. Myself. Tonight.

No wait, not here. Not tonight. I can't do that to Alanna and her folks...

I can't do it to myself. I'm...

I'm still too weak. Still too fragile...

Still dreaming things will solve themselves. Still hoping I'll move on somehow.

But...how could I? It's impossible. All these years passed and not a thing has changed...

I'm losing my fire, my edge. Nothing can change for me anymore. Nothing's new, nothing's good anymore. My whole life is a horror story...

And it has been ever since that one night. Ever since I was 12, about to hit 13. Ever since then, I've been different. Living a lie.

Hating him...

I could barely breath now, and I felt the pain in my side hurt like a bitch. It felt like something was stabbing me, and I had to stop my endless search to breath. Just breath...

The crowd of people around me, the laughter they made, the sound of the music, the beat of my own heart...

All of it seemed to calm down and die down as I felt it yet again...that strange sickness that seems to be quite common with me now a days. That dizziness I couldn't seem to flag down enough...

And yet again, the room was spinning. Yet again, I couldn't make out anything. Yet again...I'm weak.

Gripping towards the wall, but missing epically, I grip onto **someone **instead.

"Hey! Watch it, Buddy!" An aggresive girl hisses, pushing my hand off her shoulder, causing me to stumble into the wall. It doesn't hurt, and I don't dent it. In fact, it's exactly what I needed, so I mumbled out a dull, 'thank you.'

"Must be drunk.." The girl mumbled disgustedly. As if she wasn't...

But I wasn't. This wasn't from a drink. No, not at all...

I **wish** it was from a drink. Maybe then it wouldn't be so damn scary...

I didn't know **what** this was. It occurred to me all the time, and I didn't even understand it...

The good thing was, after a few minutes of deep breathing, and feeling the stable wall near me and against me, I soon lost my dizziness, and the pain in my side went away into a dull, lifeless throb. I closed my eyes in gratitude.

I was already an outcast... now I was just feeling the part.

I sighed and opened my eyes. When I felt I was ready, I backed away from the wall and ...er...bumped into someone again, my back hitting them.

Dammit...this day just...**sucked.** It really _**sucked.**_

With a low and almost inaudible grunt, I turned around towards the person I hit.

"Sorry." I mumbled out, annoyed with myself. Annoyed that I felt unworthy of doing anything right...

_I had no niche. _

"...Yeah, SHOULD be, greenie." A strangely familiar voice sounded. I don't remember where I heard it from, but it certainly distracted me from my on going search for..._ him._

And no, not the villain Him. I just...don't feel like saying this guys name..

I looked away from his black jacket and towards his face. He was tall, whoever he was.

My eyebrows slowly raised when I laid eyes on his face. I could feel my heartbeat quicken just a tad bit, and I already forgot about the sudden dizzy spell I just had.

...Who...**was he?**

He was..._so _good looking...

He had raven black hair, kind of like mine, and it was spiked in the front. His eyes were an intense, yet somehow playful, forest green, which dazzled my scenes silly. He was well built and had the most attractive features. I've never seen a guy like him in all my life..

Or have I? Something about him... seemed a tad familiar.

"Um...Hi?" I blink in confusion, embarrassment, and awe. A guy like him wouldn't want anything to do with me...

I should know better by now.

But then...why was he smirking?

"Yeah. Hey." He snickers a bit, his eyes looking me up and down suddenly. It caused me to think about my outfit. Did I look decent?

I had on a leopard t-shirt and a leather skirt with black suede boots. I guess I looked okay. I wonder if I had any leaves or grass stains on me from being in my special place...

Ugh... why should I give a damn? I never care about what I look like- spceially not for a **guy**. Phhh...

His eyebrow perks up a bit, in slight amusement.

"You haven't changed a bit..." He mumbled under his breath, but I still heard him anyway. Wait- what?

I scrunched my eyebrows up in confusion at that and stared at him in scrutiny.

"Excuse me? Have we met before?" I half snap, half really wanna know. His eyebrows raise at that, as if he was astounded at my words. As if he couldn't believe I was asking them. Weeeird...

"You mean you don't- huh..." His eyes suddenly change, and they look absolutely..._hot. _

_They smolder me... _making my heart race when it really shouldn't, and the smirk on his face only added to the mix. The takes his hand and put its it on my shoulder, pushing me against the wall. He's got me pinned to it, but not in a voilent way... in a...seductive way. It makes me gulp.

It makes me think about... about...

"If you don't remember me, then I guess that's cool with me. Maybe I'll let you guess. That'd be more fun anyways. If you have an answer by the end of the night...and it's right? You'll get a reward."

What was I? A dog?

Yet, I didn't laugh at his cheesy remark. My mind wasn't focused on that at all. In fact, it wasn't even focused on the hunk in front of me right now- even though I _**wanted**_ it to be...

I could feel myself get tense. I could feel all the heat rush from my face, and the sickening memory daunt me again...over and over. It was like a movie in my head that I couldn't shut out. Couldn't close the curtains to.

_Why won't it stop? Why can't I forget it? It happened such a long time ago! _

And yet...

Just a simple touch made me think about it. All over again, as if it were yesterday. When it was in fact 5 years ago.

_He had grown out his hair to reach his shoulders. It was that same dirty brown color. His eyes were beady, but looked sincere. They pulled me in. He was cute, he was interesting._

_He talked to me in the playground. He made me feel special. He was my only real friend since I was 5. I loved him... _

_Or so I thought. _

_Now we were 13, and we were sitting at the park. We had met up. We liked hanging out. I had on a halter top and shorts. It was summer. He wore his favorite band t-shirt, Metallica. He had a strange look in his eyes...they glittered with a strangeness I had never seen before._

_Then he told me something. He whispered a secret in my ear._

_He liked me. More than a friend. I didn't know what to say. I tried to make sense of it, and I wound of thinking maybe I liked him too._

_He told me not to respond to it. He told me to think about it. After that, he acted normal and we had a lot of fun. We played a lot of cool games..._

_And then he asked me if I wanted to play truth or dare._

_I said yes._

_...So stupid._

"...Yo." The boy's voice was harsh and demanding. It pulled me out of my thoughts...if only for a little while. I noticed I was spacing out and looked towards him, my eyes wider than normal. Apparently, this boy wasn't pinning me to the wall anymore. He had his hands on my shoulders- **both **my shoulders. He shook me lightly to make me snap out of it...whatever **it **was.

"...Earth to Buttercup?" He scowled, waving a hand in front of my face. I gulped, surprised at how clammy my palms were, and how dry my throat was. I looked down in embarrassment, regretting being so weak in front of a guy...

My face slowly turned into a scowl of it's own, and quickly, not missing a beat, I shoved the guys hands off my shoulders, causing him to stumble back a bit. I sent him a death glare while doing it, totally catching him off guard.

"Hands off." I asserted aggressively, my voice sounding as cold as ice.

The people near us turned to look while they sipped their alcohol and chatted about stupid crap I didn't care about.

The boy caught himself right before he bumped into the coffee table behind him and gave me a unappreciative scowl.

"Hey, what the fuck's your **problem**?" The boy yelled out to me harshly. I grimaced and looked away, feeling that familiar tug at my heart strings all over again...

"Everything pretty boy. **Everything.** So stay out of it!" I warn him, starting to march off angrily. I shouldn't have come... I should've just stayed in my special place. My sanctuary...

Not here. Sorry Alanna, but I'm going... I can't stay.

I don't belong here. Or anywhere. It was foolish to think I might've...

"Hey! Wait up! Ugh, stubborn as ever, aren't ya?" He growls right back and chases after me, for whatever reason. My head hurts and I massage my temples aggresively as I march towards the front door.

"Leave me the fuck alone! Who ever you are! Okay? I said I was sorry for bumping into you! Isn't that good enough for ya? Got to torture me too? Like everyone fucking else does? Huh!"

I turned around towards him, my mouth gabbing a mile a minute. He stops in his tracks to stare at me, his eyes fixed on mine. We're both fuming, I could feel it. I just wish I knew why **he w**as...

"You've changed..." He suddenly says, his voice still hard, but quieter, "...You're _not _the same anymore. Not at all.." His eyes narrowed as if in disgust. His words hurt like a knife. It was as if he knew me when I didn't know him at all, and that **really **bothered the shit out of me.

"How the fuck do you know, huh? Sorry I'm not good enough for you! Asshole! Since when do **you** know me?"

"Since when do you tense up when someone lays a hand on you? Let alone **just **a hand and not a **fist**." he jabs right back, making me freeze for a second. So, he had noticed I had tensed up when he touched me.

Of course he did...It must've been embarrassingly obvious.

...I frowned even more, because now, people were gathering near us, watching us. Hoping for something to happen. Knowing them, they probably hoped it would be a fight. That somehow, some way, this guy could hurt me. Hurt me just like I've been hurt over dozens of times already.

But he couldn't hurt me- at least not physically. No one could. Except my sisters and some villains in town...who've become mostly dormant with the years.

"...Who are you?" I demand to know, my hands in fists at my sides, my body leaning towards him, ready to lunge if I had to. He did the exact same thing.

His eyes never left mine or broke contact. His mouth was still in that ever so familiar sneer...

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but he closed it again.

Instead, he just shook his head and smirked bitterly at me.

"...It's pathetic. You're just like me, and yet you don't even realize it..."

Huh? My eyebrows get confused at that, but before I could say much else, he turns his back to me and looks at the crowd of people gathering around us.

"Hey, get the fuck outa here! This ain't no show!" He shouts loudly, assertively...

Everyone mumbles under their breath and slowly drags themselves away\, until their just a distant memory and in other rooms.

Now it was just him and I, in the main hallway, where the front door was. Which I was standing in front of. His back is still turned to me.

"...You didn't have to do that. They can look all they want-"

"No they can't. The fucktards can't watch you suffer. You can't let them. You got to be stronger than that."

"...Says who Mr. Know It All?" I fold my arms and cock up an eyebrow. He sighs and sneaks a peek at me over his shoulder.

Suddenly, he turns over towards me and smirks a slight bit.

"...Sstill got that same temper Buttercup, eh? Good. Glad something's the same about you..."

"Who ARE you!" I suddenly exclaim, hating the fact it seems as if he knows me. He chuckles at this and looks towards the 'dance floor' in the other room where loads of people are dancing together and having a blast.

"...Maybe you'll get your answer..." He suggests in a low voice, as if he's talking to himself, "...IF you dance with me." He smirks bigger now, looking at me, his eyes shining with hyperness.

Man...this guy doesn't back down, does he?

I growl at him, my teeth grinding together in fury.

"No!" I roar, about to turn my back on him and walk out the door, when he suddenly grabs my arm and pulls me close to him! My eyes widen at this, and I can't help but gasp, my heartbeat jumping out of place. W-What was he doing? How dare he grab me again!

I wasn't his toy! This wasn't cool at all!

"Aw come on Buttercup, have a little fun, won't ya?" He snickers, pulling me towards the dance floor in the other room. The music pumps as we cram together in between a bunch of people who're so close their skin is touching inappropriately. It gives me the chills just looking at it...

I didn't want to be here. Not in this situation. I couldn't let this happen to me. Not here. Not now. Not _again._

"Let go of me..." I mumble, but my voice is muffled thanks to the music blasting. However, I could've sworn I heard him say 'no', as if he heard me...

It never crossed my mind to think of how easily he pulled me around. It never even entered my mind that he seemed to weald a lot of strength of his own against mine. I was too busy being mushed against his chest to think straight. Instead, the uncomfortable memories it brought back left me breathless, and not in a good way...

Together, we 'danced', if you want to call it that. I barely moved. We just swayed in that one spot. It was too jammed with people to move anymore than that anyway.

"...You don't have to be so afraid of me by the way. I'm...I'm actually not out to get you Buttercup. Not yet, anyway." His voice sounded, and it was softer than before. Much more understanding.

I still felt tense though, and every bone in my body egged me to pull away and dart out of the house... but I was frozen. Paralyzed. Stiff.

I could barely feel my legs. Half my mind was here, 'dancing' or rather, swaying, with him, while the other half was lost in a memory I'd rather not remember...

"...I don't want to be...here." I tried to speak up, but I wondered if he could even hear me over the blasting music. Over the screaming people.

I wondered how my voice sounded. I probably sounded like a frightened school girl. I hated it... I hated it **so much...**

"...But there's nowhere else to go, is there BC? You and I both know that we don't belong anywhere in this world...don't we?"

That caught my attention alright. First off...he actually **heard **my words. Second off? He ... he called me BC. _No one calls me that anymore.._ Except the people I knew when I was five. Like my sisters.

And third...? Third...

How could he **possibly** know how I was feeling? How could he **possibly** understand I didn't have a niche in this world?

I forced myself to look up at him, forced myself to look into his eyes. Those shining, dark green orbs stared right back at me- super intense and understanding in the creepiest...yet most comforting way. My mind spun in circles, and I could feel myself getting dizzy again... the pain in my side coming back with sharp accuracy. My heart beat quickly in a sort of panicked frenzy as I stared him in the eye.

I barely had a moment to breath before I knew who he was. Before I could even blink. It all seemed to just click...at that sudden moment.

"...Oh god..." I mumbled out breathlessly, before passing out in his arms- literally too, "...Butch."

And that's when I blacked out, losing consciousness for no reason what so ever. The last thing I remember feeling was the horrible dizziness, the pain in my side, and Butch's strong arms grabbing my waist to catch me from falling on the ground beneath us...

_OHHHH booooy... ;D WOWZA...Chapter 2 is UP people! WOO HOO! Butch met Buttercup! YAY. This chapter was longer than the last- be happy! It also had a lot more too it. Also, if any of you are concerned for Buttercup's health- you should be lOl. Plus, just so you know, I'm not trying to make her seem more 'girly' or 'feeble' in this, but her past has a lot to do with how she feels around guys. Which you'll find out soon enough. I hope you liked it! Please review! I enjoy getting feedback! Thanks for all the reviews so far! You're all so sweet! Sorry for any spelling mistakes...! ^_^ Thanks again._


	3. A Rude Awakening

_Oh yeah! Are you all ready for Chapter 3 of Becoming? I know I am! =) Well, I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter_ _and are curious to what will happen this time! Feel free to review, as well as __**check me out on Facebook!**__**Just search up Blossom2day and like me! **__Not many people know about me...but I think you guys could change that! =) Thanks! Now lets get on with the story! ;D_

DICLAIMER: I do NOT own the PPG, the RRB, Townsville, or anything else...unless I made it up and you don't recognize it. ;)

**BTW: The PPG and RRB have NORMAL features and the PPG are 18. The RRB are 17.**

**Becoming**

**Chapter 3: A Rude Awakening**

**P.O.V.: Butch**

_There once was a boy with green eyes. He had brothers who had blue and red eyes The boys were very close and did almost everything together. In fact, they could never dream of doing things any other way. They had fun, did stupid things, plenty of risky things, and made sure to break all the rules. There were no rules in their lives, other than the basics of eating, sleeping, mischief, and lets not forget beating up innocent citizens. But nothing lasts forever, as most pessimistic people would be all too happy to point out. _

_No, in fact nothing lasts forever. Not even your own thought patterns. _

_Soon, the boys had grown older. Older to know that they had to get a move on in there lives and do something. They were used to their bad ways and wanted to spice it up. So, one promising cold night in January, they all planned something. _

_The one with red eyes huddled together with his brothers and talked about dreams he'd been having as of late. Dreams of becoming the baddest of the bad. He wooed his brothers with tales of mischief, fortune, and evil fun that captivated their souls and minds beyond repair. They gave into his dreams and wanted to believe in them too. They wanted to become as evil as the red eyed brother dreamed them to be. _

_The red eyed one accepted their eagerness with open arms and devised a plan. He spoke of going to a far off land where no one knew them. Then, they would become stronger and develop more skills, learning new tricks, and growing not only in power, but in evilness. The other brothers were more than excited to oblige. They were ecstatic. _

_They too were tired of living in the forest of a town called Townsville- a sick, boring joke of a name- when they could be out terrorizing the world, taking it and commanding it to bend to their whims. So, it was set. They were leaving Townsville. _

_The 3 brothers left for somewhere they would not be known so well, somewhere their fearsome powers would be even more feared due to lack of familiarity. they craved it with all their hearts... _

_And then something changed. Something made their original plan slip away. _

_The red eyed one saw a college he was too young to enter. He was impressed by it's stature, and saw it specialized in Science, his favorite topic. He was in awe of the school, even though he hated the confinements school had always represented to him. It was then that his goals shifted, and he wished to excel in a new school, in order to get into the college when he was of age. To do this went against everything his brothers, or even himself, ever knew. It was beyond a stretch. _

_It was impossible. _

_The brothers were outraged by this sudden change of heart...and they swore they would still remain evil. Still stick to the plan and shove it in the red eyed brother's face when they had completed it. _

_They swore on their graves and really, truly believed their words. From the bottom of their hearts. _

_But then a funny thing happened to th blue eyed brother. Something he never expected, something he couldn't control or foresee. The blue eyed brother fell in love._

_Love is a strange thing that binds people and twists them into strangers. They make people do funny things they wouldn't usually do. Love is not great. Love is a sickness._

_A sickness the green eyed brother never wanted to be a part of after watching his blue eyed brother fall head over heels for some random girl he pumped into on the street. After that, it was all down hill for the blue eyed one. He never acted the same again. He would become even more shy, blush like a little girl, and murmur his words in mere whispers. He also started tapping into his sensitive side a lot more- which the green eyed brother already knew he had._ _But now, it showed even more._

_And the green eyed brother hated it. _

_He hated what his brothers had turned into. Hated the fact they promised to stay evil, to get __**worse**__ even, but had not kept that promise. And now? They both had their niche. They both had reasons not to be evil anymore. One was for school, one was for a girl. A girl and a school they wanted to impress, when they spent their whole lives prior to this impressing no one but themselves and each other. But now he felt distraught and out of the loop, with nowhere to turn, nowhere to go. He had never experienced anything like this before, and whatever foundation his brother's evilness had provided for him was pulled out from under him. Harshly._

_It made him feel more than alone, but less trustworthy about everyone, including his brothers and himself. _

_They wanted to impress something. Which had gone against everything the green eyed brother knew. All he ever wanted to impress was his brothers with his brute strength...But now? They were gone. They may have been there physically, but not in spirit. Not anymore. They weren't the same brothers he once knew._

_And what did the green eyed boy have to impress anymore? No one. Not even himself._

_Because now, he felt unimpressive and alone. Now, he didn't belong. His powers of strength meant nothing. He was nothing..._

_**He...**__ was __**me.**_

_Butch Jojo..._

...

I opened my eyes to find myself sitting down on my couch. I rubbed my eyes with a heavy sigh, my exhaustion evident. I hadn't slept for long, I could tell. I must've been out for no more than three hours. With weary eyes, I scan my new apartment, waking up ever so slowly. My new apartment is a drab- a complete wreck. The walls were old and worn out. Some of the paint on them was chipping.

With a dull glaze to my eyes, I grabbed my remote and turned on my television. It didn't turn on. Like usual. I had to hit it three times before the piece of crap T.V. worked, which caused me to growl and curse under my breath.

Flicking through channels aimlessly, I could feel myself trailing off from the present, and into my own mind. I started thinking about last night...

My first night back in Townsville. The place where everything actually made...sense.

Never thought I'd say _that..._

But it was true. Things used to make sense before we moved away from here...

And speaking of here, Buttercup...

I looked over my right shoulder towards my bedroom door that stuck out like a sore thumb. It was an ugly yellow color with dents and cracks muddled into it. I hated that door.

Was she awake yet? Would she realize who I am as soon as she sees me again? Or would she forget about last night altogether? Not remembering me?

For some strange reason, I wanted her to remember me. Desperately. And that irked me as well.

Why should I care if the little Powerpuff brat remembers my face?

But maybe...just maybe I wanted to feel like someone knew about my past. Like someone remembered me for what I once was.

And the thought made my heart come alive. It pounded away, but I couldn't understand why exactly.

What's so special about a girl like her remembering me?

Yet, here I am...and here she is. Lying in **my **bedroom, on **my **bed. It was obvious I wanted attention from her on some level...or else I wouldn't have taken her here. I would've let her faint onto the floor of that house and left her there, surrounded by people who don't like her. Possibly even hate her.

That's right, I could tell. I could tell she isn't liked. I had been observing her the whole night, after all...

I sighed at my own patheticness and decided she had been asleep too long. It was nearly dawn, and she still hasn't woken up. The wretch...

I get up and walk over to my kitchen. With every step I take a board creeks underneath my feet.

_Lovely..._

The kitchen is just as pathetic as myself. It's small and ugly. It makes me want to smack it until it looks decent, which makes no sense. Then again, I want to smack everything...or punch everything.

The cabinets are ajar and filled with stolen goodies that are known to clog arteries. Crumbs from food I stuffed my face with last night while watching the movie 30 Days Of Night after bringing the sleeping Buttercup back here lay all over the counters. Man, I must've ate like a pig before I dozed off...

That usually happens when I'm angry or stressed out...

The floor is a gritty tile color that reminds me of someone's yellow teeth. The fridge almost looks lopsided and isn't closed properly because it's stuffed with beer, junk, and a multitude of other crap I can't remember. I can feel it's cool breeze wafting towards me from the crack of it's door.

This is my kitchen. Tell me now you don't want to slap it until it's decent.

With a depressed sigh I open the fridge and am NOT surprised when piles of sparse beer bottles fall to the floor as soon as I open it.

With a shrug, I grab one beer bottle for me, and then one for Buttercup. Yeah, this should wake her up...

I close the fridge door with a slam, and for a moment it stays closed. But not for long. It cracks open again...like before. I don't even bother to try and shut it again. I don't even bother to clean up the broken glass on the floor or the spilt beer. I just walk over it and walk towards my room, letting a small smirk escape my lips.

I have to admit, the idea in my head makes me kind of eager...

I love the feeling I get when I'm bad...

Opening the hideous yellow door to my room, I see Buttercup spralled out on my bed sloppily. Her hair is a mess, but it's got a shiny coat to it that my hair lacks. Sure, my hair has shine, but I guess it's just a girl thing...

Also, her arms are spread out in weird directions, making it look like she's fist pumping the air while sleeping. I try not to laugh at it, actually.

But when my eyes land to her face, the same initial feeling I got when I first saw her again last night occurs. And I don't like it.

I stare, and I stare, and I stare. That skin...was it always so flawless? And those lashes...were they always so long and dark? What about her lips? Always red as the rose bush that blooms by Fuzzy's house in the forest? I don't remember her being so striking when we were little...

Guess people really do change.

But why should this surprise me, after all I've been through?

I break out of my annoying trance with a simple shake of the head and step forward.

My bedroom is plain and boring. Just like the rest of my house. The bed is rickety and noisy. It's at least got forest green covers on it though. There's only one small window in it, and it's got dusty and broken window shades to it, over viewing the city. The room also smells like stale yoga mats.

Don't ask.

Anyway...

I take the beer bottle and gingerly reach out towards her leopard print shirt. I grip it with my thumb and index finger ever so gently. Then, while holding my breath, I place the ice cold beer inside her shirt, right where her chest is and let go of the blouse before anything else can happen. I swear I'm holding back from laughing so hard right now. Thanks to me, her chest now looks deformed because of that bottle under her shirt.

I can't help but think she so stupid like that, and I can't contain my laughter any longer. Hey, at least I held it in for a good 30 seconds.

I burst out laughing, spitting at the same time, clutching my stomach. If I had a camera, I'd take a picture, but sadly a camera wasn't on my items to steal list last night.

However, after a few minutes of laughter, I notice something wrong...

Dead wrong.

She's not waking up. That thing has been on her bare skin for over a minute now, and she's not even budged. This is a bit shocking at first, but then I consider the possibility that maybe it's just because she has super powers and can't feel it.

I quickly take the other beer I am holding for myself and open it. My face is more serious now as I stare at her.

"Hey." I call out, "Wake up." I demand, throwing the ice cold liquid on her face.

_...But..._

_**Nothing**_**.**

She doesn't wake up. Not even at THAT.

For some reason, that sends a jolt of panic through me, causing my heart to jump a tad bit.

This...This doesn't make much sense. She's been passed out over 8 hours now. M-maybe I should've checked up on her sooner...

Is she still breathing?

I thrust my hand out to her neck and check for her pulse. It's there alright. So...

I also put my hand under her nose to check for her breath...

I feel that too.

That relieves me...but only a bit.

Something wasn't right here. Something was wrong.

She should've been up by now...

"Buttercup, wake the fuck up, stupid!" I yell now, throwing the empty beer bottle to my side. It shatters against the wall. I hop onto my bed.

I'm on top of her now, my knees right next to her hips.

I can feel my face flush with anger. Or at least it feels like anger. More like anxiety...

I wish I knew why though.

I grab her by the shoulders and thrash her around a bit.

"**Buttercup!**" I yell out harshly now, and I begin to shake her so violently that her neck might break from all that violent shaking...so I stop.

And instead, I smack her. Hard as hell too. It leaves a red mark against her pale cheek, and if I were a better person, I would've felt guilty about doing that.

However...I don't because it paid off. Her eyelids slowly start to twitch...and finally?

They flutter open groggily.

"Wh-Wha...what?" She mumbles out, slowly looking towards me, her eyelids lowered tiredly. This makes me sigh...in relief. I admit I do. I just wish I knew the fuck **why...**

However, my relief doesn't last long. In fact, it barely lasts a second.

Before I know it, her eyes are wide and glowering at me, and in seconds I'm getting a nice bottle of beer slammed onto my head. Guess it was the one still under her shirt.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING ON TOP OF ME, **ASS WIPE?**" She hollars, making my ears ring. I have to admit, it takes me back, and I kind of allow her to shove me off her and onto the floor. The shards of glass in my hair are slowly brushed off by my own fingertips as I stare at her, puzzled.

"And why the **fuck **was that beer bottle in my shirt? HUH?" she growls, getting up from the bed, hands in fists at her sides... she towering over me...

And I think I like it.

"Uh..." I mumble briefly, before smirking, loving the rush of adrenaline I was getting off this, "I guess you put it there. Maybe you were hot." I suggest, holding back a snicker.

Her eyes narrow at this slightly, her eyebrow perking up in the least bit. She looks curious now, but still angry.

"Hot?" She blinks. I try holding back a smile, but fail.

"Yeah, you know...I tend to have that effect on girls is all." I suddenly tease...

Mentally I'm slapping myself in the head. Since when do I flirt with Powerpuffs?

And ugh... what am I thinking? I haven't flirted I what feels like ages...why start now?

Who am I fooling?

Her eyebrows raise at this, in confusion, but once she catches on, I'm a dead man.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?" She growls out, leaning down and grabbing me by my collar. She raises me up so that I'm dangling in the air. I stare down at her, impressed by her strength.

Still puzzled why she passed out in the first place though...in the back of my mind.

"Nothing. Just messing with ya. Actually quite fun, really." I confess, a small smirk on my lips. But there's something about the way she's staring at me that makes me feel like I did something bad. Wrong. Unforgivable.

Like there's something deeper to this than I am getting.

Before I can understand the look in her eyes, she winces and lets go of me at once. I don't think she meant to do it like that either, considering I land on my feet with a soft thud.

By the looks of it, she was ready to kill me five seconds ago, not release me gently...

So what's bugging her?

She's still wincing, holding her side in what appears to be pain. My eyebrow cocks up at that.

"Ow..." She hisses, and quickly sits down on my squeaky bed that jiggles at her weight. Not saying she's fat or anything- the mattress is just weak...

"Hey, what the hell's wrong with you?" I ask, my eyes probing her hands that are trying to cover up her side. Is she wounded? I didn't see it before...if so that is.

"None of your damn...business." she hisses out weakly, her face scrunched up in pain. I frown at this and gingerly take a seat next to her. She flashes me a look though- a look that reads death.

"Don't touch me or I'll bite your fucking hand off." She warns me, her voice icy cold...and serious.

I shrug and fold my arms and my legs- boy style of course. A scowl graces my face as I stare at her.

"Where the hell am I anyway?" she grumbles out, still in pain.

"My house. You passed out...remember?"

"So you took me to YOUR house? Wait...you're back here? For **good?** Oh no..."

"Huh. Thanks. Nice to see you too. Look, I don't know if you remember but I promised I wasn't going to hurt y-"

"Like I'd believe your lying ass." she suddenly snaps cruelly, and I notice she has scooted away from me on my bed. She eyes me liek I'm poison. My eyebrows scruntch up at this.

"You don't, eh?" I question. She shakes her head no, and according to her face, whatever pain she was feeling seems to be leaving her. Wonder what the hell that was about...

"Hell no. You and your brothers better stay the hell away from me and my sisters. Better yet, leave Townsville while you still **can.**" She growls nastily, getting up from the bed, as if she was fine this whole time. No more hand gripping her side either...her back to me.

I growl lowly at her attitude. Somehow, I expected her to be a bit more pleasant than this.

"Gee, you're quite welcoming. I bring you back here when I could've let you get tramped by a bunch of people who already hate you and you're bitching at me. It figures."

She looks over her shoulder towards me but then quickly stops herself and stares aimlessly towards my door. The hideous yellow one.

"I...No one hates me. I don't know what you're talking about." She insists stubbornly. I roll my eyes at that.

"Yeah, _okay. _Nice **lie.** That's like saying I'm the President of the United States...but seriously, why the hell **are **you so hated anyway? Aren't you a Powerpuff? Don't they love you or something?" I question her. I want answers. I want them now.

She folds her arms angrily.

"It's none of your fucking business! Now leave me the hell alone, and goodbye!" She starts marching towards my door, but in seconds, I'm in front of it, blocking her exit.

"Hey!" she screeches, stomping her foot aggressively on my floor, causing it to creek. Stupid wooden floor...

"Move!" She demands with little success.

"Hell fucking no. You're not leaving. Not now. Not like this, bitch. You're telling me-"

"Telling you **what**? What do you **want **from me?"

Oh crap...what **did **I want from her?

I blink, unsure of the answer to that. I never stopped to wonder that myself.

I guess ... I guess the only answer, the real answer, didn't please me too much. In fact, it scared me. It made me feel weaker than I already was...

Maybe, just maybe, I wanted her here cause...

Cause I was lonely. In need of someone. Someone like me. Who'd understand me...

But...Buttercup? How could she understand? Why did I ever think she would?

I look at her now and access her. **Really**__access her.

The arms folded, the tapping of the foot, the purse of the lips, the glaring of the eyes...

She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to be anywhere near me.

And even though it shouldn't have... it hurt. It hurt me, because I felt like no one wanted me around. No one cared. Not even my own fucking brothers...

And that's what drew me over the line. That's what made me see red.

In a matter of seconds, I completely forgot what I had told her at that party. In a matter of seconds, I was hurting her.

I gave a good battle cry and slammed my fist right into her jaw, causing her to fall back onto my bed.

My eyes, my fists, my whole _body_ was tense and tight with rage. Unprotected rage.

"FINE!" I yell, "GET THE FUCK OUT THEN!"

Her eyes are wide as she stares at me. But she doesn't budge. Doesn't even move. I'm pointing towards my ugly yellow door too.

But nothing...not even that lightning green dash...

Instead...

Instead, she sits up on my bed, still looking up at me, as she rubs the spot I hit her on her jaw.

Her eyes are locked with mine, and even though they're alert and observing me, they're...calm. Calm?

My breathing is uneven and rigid. It's anything **but **calm.

But after a while of silence, and this seemingly pointless staring, I slowly stop panting.

And that's when something shocking happens.

A smile forms on her rose colored lips.

"Alright." Her voice is smooth and even, "You've got my attention."

_Ohhh~ Chapter 3 is up! Yay! I hope you all enjoyed! I liked this chappy...a lot. ;) We saw Butch's past more in depth AND we saw more Green Action! ;D Wonder what's going on with Buttercup...eh? Stick around to find out! ^_^ Please review! I love them! And sorry for any spelling mistakes...Also, don't forget to like me on Facebook! Thanks...! _


	4. We're Not Friends

_Yay! Becoming, Chapter 4! I'm happy I'm getting another chance to update. Twice in one week is a good thing, no? :) Also, for all you Angelica fans, I'll be updating that soon too. :D Just thought I'd focus on this story right now- since it's brand new and needs more work. The other one is well on its way to being done! I admit I'm kind of stalling it's completion because of that... I don't want to end it! Oh well, beggars can't be choosers so...The update for that story will be up too. As for this one, I hope you'll enjoy it and review it like usual. And remember, I have a page on __**Facebook**__ now! Like me please? ;) Thanks. Now...On with the story! :D_

DICLAIMER: I do NOT own the PPG, the RRB, Townsville, or anything else...unless I made it up and you don't recognize it. ;)

**BTW: The PPG and RRB have NORMAL features and the PPG are 18. The RRB are 17.**

**Becoming**

**Chapter 4: We're Not Friends**

**P.O.V.: Buttercup**

I have never been challenged before.

I have never been defeated before, or felt intense pain for any sort in over 10 years. I have not met anyone who could match my strength, besides my sisters and some of the villains in Townsville, although my sisters never really fight with me physically anyway.

Except...when Butch was around. Then, things were different. Then, I had someone to challenge me head on.

Sure, he was a villain, and sure, I always won...but it'd come close.

And I loved it. Secretly, of course. The fights we had as children would always make me want to fight better, to put all my effort in to it just to win. To show who was boss.

But now, I didn't have that anymore. Butch had left with his brothers for a long time. I didn't even know if they were still alive...

Yet here he was. Right in front of me.

I guess the slam to the jaw really made me remember those times. It sent a rush of adrenaline I had not felt in what felt like forever. And I loved it. It felt like fuel for a car that was running on empty all these years.

I guess that's why I smiled at him, why I told him he had my attention. Cause it was true. He did.

With that one punch, he had me feeling a bit like my old self again. And I never wanted it to end.

The only disheartening thing about all this was that we weren't the same as we were before. We'd never get into the same fights we did previously, I could just tell. He was a different person than when I last saw him, as was I.

There was something...calmer to him than before. Something less harsh or hyper to him. He almost seemed similar to me in that way.

However, I was still harsh. I was still mean- maybe even more so now than ever. I didn't mean to be, deep down, I just was. Specially around guys...

But, huh, there's one _specific _guy to blame for that...

"Y-You mean you'll actually talk to me?" Butch's voice, filled with shock, breaks my own thoughts. His eyes are wide with disbelief as I stare back at him.

"You won't try to punch back?" He's baffled. I can tell.

I look away, look at his room. It's a mess alright. Yet, there's something humbling to it. He might've stole the room, but there was the slight chance he might've actually bought it too. After all, there seems to be a sincerity to him that's grown in him over the years.

The years I wasn't around him.

"Not this time." I smirk, looking back at him, "But if you try anything again, I certainly will." I promise, my eyes serious and daunting. That smirk doesn't leave my lips though.

He scratches his beer stained hair and looks away from me in puzzlement.

"Well...alright. I guess..." He shrugs, and goes to sit down next to me. His bed squeaks when he does. Ugh...how annoying that sound is...

The silence is a bit awkward between us as I think up something to say. Should I really be here right now? He **is **still my enemy...isn't he? Technically?

He's thinking of something to say too, which is even more awkward. Wasn't **he **the one who blocked me from exiting? Wanted me to stay?

You'd think he'd be the first to speak then...

"So. Why did you bring me here?" I finally break the mind numbing silence. He looks at me from the corner of his eye, and after some time, he shrugs and looks at the floor.

Guess that wasn't a question he knew how to answer. Crap...

"Okay...then how about an easier question? Where are your annoying ass brothers?" I query, folding my arms. I stare at him, wondering why I can't hear them outside this room. Unless they were as quiet as Butch had grown, then I doubt they were even home.

"...Not here." It's his turn to surprise me now, "We split up. Brick is in Peru somewhere, I think, and Boomer's on a trip with his girlfriend in Spain."

My face must've shown how shocked I was because when he looks at me, his eyebrows furrow in slight irritation.

"Why do you look so shocked?" He demands to know. Now he folds his arms. He also sulks and looks away from me.

"I just thought...you know... you guys would be a team until the very end was all. I guess. Weren't you tight and stuff?"

He doesn't say anything for a while. Just stares at his bedroom wall in silence. I can't help but wonder what he's thinking.

"..Yeah...tight..." is all he mumbles out.

I sigh. This is going nowhere. Wait, where was it supposed to go in the first place?

With a glance at my watch, my eyes nearly bulge out in pure horror.

It's 6:45 in the fucking morning.

I'm not home yet.

_Fuuuuuck..._

The Professor was going to KILL me. And if not him, then surely Blossom! I quickly check my phone and realize I have 12 missed calls, all occurring after I passed out. 5 from Bubbles, 5 from Blossom, and 2 from the Professor.

Just the thought of hearing what messages they left on my voice mail made me shudder.

I was in a shit load of trouble...

"Yo." Butch speaks up. Finally.

"You okay? Got somewhere to be?" He sounds as if he hopes my answer is no. I still don't get why he doesn't want me to leave..

"My family. They must be worried _sick _about me." I grunt, getting up from the bed.

Butch gets up too, a little bit too eagerly for my taste.

"Wait- you...you're not going **now **are ya?" He questions as I look towards his door.

Ew...what an ugly shade of yellow that door is...

"Yeah, I really should...I'll bet I'm in for a beating when I get there. Every minute counts."

Butch seems disappointed in that.

"You're going to let your family intimidate you? For some reason, I thought you were tougher than that." Butch mumbles, a small, bitter smirk working its way onto his face.

I scowl at him, my head reeling over a scenario of me walking into my house now, and Blossom pouncing on me 5 seconds after I've stepped in the door.

Not pretty...

"Look, it's none of your goddam business-"

"But I thought I had your attention?" Butch challenges me, which makes me grind my teeth together.

"Yeah, maybe **before** you went blank on me and said **nothing.**" I challenge him right back, making his blood boil. It makes my heart beat a little faster to see him get agitated for some reason.

"Well, I'm saying something now!" He shouts, "And I'm telling you plain out, the buttercup I know would never dare go back there now. She'd keep pushing her family to see if they really gave a damn about her- and even then she'd still take a risk. Even more so actually. She'd spend a whole n'other night out in fact! The point is, she wouldn't back down." He persecutes me, making my blood run cold.

I feel tense and agitated along with him now.

"You act as if you know me! Well let me tell you something Bucko, you DON'T. Okay? All you've ever known about me is how I fight. That's IT."

"What else is there to know?" He challenges yet again, making me feel flat. One dimensional.

And the worst part is?...He's right.

What else **is **there to know about me, besides my fighting skills? I don't do anything, I don't know anything, I can't be anything other than a fighter.

So...what argument have I got with him? He's right.

But I won't back down.

"You son of a bitch. You brung me here to torture me, didn't you? We too bad! I'm leaving. I don't need this bull!" I growl out, grinding my teeth as I stomp off towards his bedroom door. I don't stop this time. I don't see a flash of forest green blocking my way to this door.

Instead I open it and pause at what I see.

The living room is just as bad, if not worse, than the bedroom. The television looks like it came from the trash- and was vintage, but not the good kind. It was a broken down 50s television, and it was running out of juice, if it had any left. The picture was on, but it was only in black and white and was small and fuzzy...

The couch was small and beaten up, as if Butch had personally punched and kicked it for mere pleasure. It was a muddy brown color that looked like it'd camouflage perfectly in the forest. I didn't need to see the rest of the house to know that it too was a dump.

And for whatever reason...this made me stop. This made me stop leaving.

But...why?

I bit my lower lip as he pushed past me, giving me a bitter shove. I allowed him too, my eyes glued on that television set...

He walked to the middle of the floor, the floor creaking with every step he took. When he got to the spot he was aiming for, he faced me and spread out his arms, as if she show off his ugly abode. His face was broken, fallen, and miserable.

"Welcome, Buttercup Utonium." He announces grandly, but bitingly, "Welcome to my scrap heap of a home. Sorry if it doesn't fit your tastes." He sarcastically announces. A frown forms on my face at this and I look away, not able to meet his gaze. Dammit, why am I acting like this? Just leave already!

"...I'm sorry." Wait, did those words just fly out of my mouth, or did someone else say that? No. Even though it sounded small and helpless, no one else's voice sounded like that. It was definitely my own.

"...Sorry?" Butch repeats, aghast. I just blink and look at him. "Why?" He scrunches his face up in confusion.

I shrug, obviously confused myself.

But it doesn't take long to realize why I feel the way I feel.

His apartment mirrors myself, and how I feel. Like crap.

Is it possible he feels this way too, deep down?

"Buttercup...you're just full of surprises for me today, aren't you?" He speculates, rubbing his drying hair. It'll stink like beer now. Thanks to me hitting him with one.

"Yeah. I tend to do that." I say nothing else. I just stand there.

"I see that." He looks back at his T.V., hiding his face from me, "Wanna watch some sports?" He suddenly suggests.

He looks back at me with slight interest. Sports?

Wait...why is it I get the feeling he's trying so hard to be friendly?

"...Why are you doing this Butch?"

"Doing what?" An dark eyebrow of his cocks up.

"You know what." My eyes narrow at him suspiciously, "Don't pretend."

"...Asking you to watch sports with me?" He suggests, going over to his rugged couch and grabbing the remote.

"No! Ugh...trying be all...friendly! It annoying me."

He blinks and looks back at me, his forest green eyes taking me in for a minute or two.

"...Why?" He suddenly startles me, "Why does that bother you so much? Having a friend I mean."

"We're not friends." I state a bit more harshly than intended. But, it was the plain truth, right? He frowns at this and looks back at the T.V. I can't see his eyes now, but before he looked away I saw conflicting emotions surface in them.

"We have to be friends to watch sports together?" He queries, acting innocently confused. I roll my eyes at this.

"Yes Butch. We do. And we're not."

"...So you still want to be enemies." It was more of a declaration than a question. That made me rack my brain.

Did I want to be enemies with him? I already had enough as it is, minus Alanna. I didn't really need any more, and Butch could be a powerful alley, if needed. Did this mean he was good now? That he wanted to stop being evil?

Maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't be so lonely anymore with him around. But what would the girls say? Oh, who cares what they say. I'm already disobeying them as it is...

I feel my heart say _'No, I don't want to be enemies with you anymore. What would be the point?'_

Instead, my mouth is saying something totally different before I can correct it.

"We are enemies Butch. We always were! Nothing changed just cause you went away for a couple of years." I state, my voice harsh, cruel, and determined.

Butch blinks at the T.V., and slowly turns towards me. His eyes pierce my own. I can't tell what he's thinking though.

"You're pathetic, you know that Buttercup?" Butch suddenly whispers. He's not putting in any effort to even try to be mad. I wonder how hard it must be to not get mad at me at this point.

Heck, even I'm mad at me, for whatever reason...

One more enemy shouldn't hurt, right? I can fare on my own like usual... or could I?

"Yeah, that's what they all say." I grumble, fighting the burning sensation in my throat, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go now. My damn family's more important than the likes of you."

But why did it feel I didn't mean those words? At all?

It felt like my family was a million miles away. People I barely knew. Perhaps they were even aliens to my heart now. Yet, here Butch was. So close, so visibly alone, just like me.

Couldn't we both use each others company right now?

But no. I couldn't tell him that. Ever.

His face dropped at that, a scowl crawling on his lips.

"Yeah, stupid Bubbles with her stuck up red headed sister and a square father? Real great family you got there. Family is shit. They say they love you and contradict themselves. Screw family..."

But there was something in his words that was filled with pain. Something about them echoed the hurt deep inside his soul as he flicked the remote control rapidly, as if his finger was on fire. When the television didn't respond, he gave a roar so loud and ear booming that it caused my ears to ring. He flung the remote at the T.V. and the whole thing broke in one instance. Smoke and sparks alike gathered around the old little device and I just stared at Butch who stared at the broken television. Smoke floated all over the whole house, even towards me. I could see him through the smoke, but he looked ominous and like a distant illusion of my mind's eye.

Anyone could tell it wasn't really me he was pissed at. But something deeper than that. I wonder if he was pissed at his brothers for leaving him here, all alone. Was Butch actually showing me something deeper going on inside him than I ever could? I might never know.

"Goodbye Buttercup." He said it in such a way that any good natured person would've felt the torn emotions in his heart. Any good natured person would've walked over to him, sat down next to him on his mud colored couch, held his hand, or even hugged him.

But I was no good natured person. Instead, I clutched onto my phone, smoothed the smoke out of my hair, and walked on out of his apartment.

_Ohhh...Buttercup was extremely cold in this chapter! But no worries, she'll be warming up to Butch soon...I hope. Anyways, at least she wasn't in pain this chapter around! What did you think of this one you guys? Liked it? Did it aggravate you to see them so tense around each other? To see them fighting? I'm sure Buttercup's attitude must've made you a bit pissed too haha. Unfortunate as it seems, there IS a reason why she's doing all this. One we as the audience WILL see, but not now. Soon. Please review you guys! Sorry for any spelling mistakes as well...Thank you! ^_^_


	5. Home Sweet Home

_Sorry you guys! It's been a while! :O I've been pretty busy as of late, but no worries! Summer is here! That means I'll have LOADS more time to do what I love best: WRITING! ;) Expect more updates to both my stories! ;) It'll be a blast to write more frequently again! Also, just so all of you know, I appreciate the AMAZING reviews I've been getting! All of them are so heart warming! I'm SO happy you're all enjoying this story so much! =) More is on the way now, so no worries! Please review and enjoy! Thanks! Now on with the story! =D_

DICLAIMER: I do NOT own the PPG, the RRB, Townsville, or anything else...unless I made it up and you don't recognize it. ;)

**BTW: The PPG and RRB have NORMAL features and the PPG are 18. The RRB are 17.**

**Becoming**

**Chapter 5: Home Sweet Home**

**P.O.V.: Buttercup**

I was surprised when no one rushed to the door when I opened it. I was even _more_ surprised when no one automatically appeared when I stepped into the house and took off my black leather boots. My eyes scanned the room around me, puzzlement taking over me.

Where was everybody?

"Hello? I'm home!" I yell out, my voice echoing inside the empty house. No one. No one was home. Where was everybody?

A frown makes its way on my face, my eyes losing their luster. What if no one cared about me? What if they're all out celebrating my leave? The thought makes my heart ache.

No. Blossom, Bubbles, and the Professor would never do such a cruel thing to me. No matter our differences, we still love each other. We're still a _family. _

Even if it looks like I hate them sometimes...

I sighed, realizing they're probably out looking for me. It wouldn't be the first time either...

I purse my lips and move into the kitchen, my mind reeling. Should I call them? Let them know I'm here? Okay? Safe and sound? Or should I wait? I glance at my phone, debating.

It's 7:10 AM. Wonder where they'd be searching right about now.

Poor Professor. If I wasn't such a lousy good for nothing...maybe I wouldn't cause him so much heart ache.

Gingerly, I step into the kitchen. It smells like nutmeg and cinnamon in here. I wonder if Bubbles was cooking something this morning. My eyelids seep as my eyes fix onto a homemade pumpkin pie. It sits on the ajar windowsill, simmering down. So that's what's making it smell so delicious in here.

I'm grateful no one is around to see me. I don't hold back the tears that spill out from my eyes. Not this time.

Bubbles knows my favorite dessert is Pumpkin Pie. I like it because it reminds me of autumn, a crisp, cool time. A time when things are starting to die, but in a grand and beautiful fashion. Kind of like my heart.

I slouch on over towards it, seeing a note lingering near it, written in Bubbles's chirpy handwriting. I blink, tears spilling out when I do, and take it into my hand. The note is fancy and has a blue border around it. Bubbles only uses these type of notes for important occasions, and she knows I know it too.

_Dear Buttercup, _

_If you find this note, please know that we are out looking for you. Help yourself to this homemade pumpkin pie. I made it just for you! I'm sure you're hungry. When you're done, give us a call. Thank you. We're all worried about you._ There's a fresh tear stain near 'you'.

_Love, Bubbles._

My eyes are tight, my brows furrowed, as I read the note, my shaky hands making it twitch ever so slightly. Damn her. Damn her and her kindness!

Why? Why does she have to make me feel so guilty? Why does she have to make me _hate_ myself even more?

In an sudden show of rage, I clench my teeth and growl, throwing my hand out and purposefully knocking down the perfect pumpkin pie. It's struck by my hand and is sent flying into the air, only to land on the ground with a careless splat.

I regret it as soon as it's done, sobs escaping my pathetic throat. You were only thinking of me Bubbles. Only being kind.

Why do I have to be such a _bitch?_

My knees buckle under me as I slide to the cold marble ground, clutching her fancy note to my heart. The tears are pouring out of me like buckets.

Why do I have to be so violent all the time? Why must I always break the hearts of those around me? Why must I be so _angry_ all the time? Why must I be ME?

It came again. The pain. Only this time, I let it. I deserved it. I'm sure the professor, Blossom, and Bubbles are aggravated by me enough. This will suffice as punishment for now.

A dizziness overwhelms my vision, and my head pounds in tiny little pounding sensations. It's only the beginning. Soon, I feel the sharp, but small pain in my side yet again. It starts of minuscule, handleable, and then ends up disorienting. I can barely breath, the air in my lungs seem to be sucked right out of me. I try to pull them back in, but it's futile.

I get what I deserve.

My eyes go wide as I plunge straight to the ground, shoulder first. I'm sure I make a dent in the kitchen tile, the one Blossom is always fussing over to keep clean. She likes clean things.

Sorry Bloss...

I feel like my heart's stopping, like a hand is gripping it from the inside-out, tugging at it mercilessly. I've never felt this type of unbearable pain before.

I can't even _scream_. That's how god awful it is.

Am I really this bad, to deserve _this _much pain?

Sweat drips down from my brow and plunges onto my cheeks and the back of my neck. I can't take much more of this.

It's then that a mist clouds my vision. I think I see a silhouette of a figure, but whos? It's a man's...

I manage to clench my teeth at that, but more so to try and contend with the sharpness of my side.

A foot slams down in front of my face, which is already squished against the cool tile of the kitchen floor. I stair at the foot begrudgingly. I'd recognize that shoe anywhere.

"_Mitch._" I half hiss, half whisper. My voice will go no louder, do to the hurt afflicting my side. I can almost hear his smug smile. Mitch is known for his ratty brown shoes. I'd be able to identify them anywhere.

"Miss me, old girl?" He teases, but there's an edge to his voice. He's not here to play. Was he even here at all?

Fear races up and down my spine, panic striking my already pain filled heart. I'm paralyzed, there's nothing I can do to stop him if he tries anything. Again. I dare to look up at him, to see his face. It takes all the effort in the world to look up.

Oh how much I've _despised_ that face of his. He still looks as stupid as ever, hair sticking out both ways sloppily. Tan skin over bulk and muscle. Black, beady little eyes that were completely soulless. Empty. Even his freckles were intact.

How long had it been since I had allowed myself to look at him?

He takes his foot and stomps on my hand that lay near my face, the one holding Bubbles's note. My eyes widen as I gasp, in shock. Since when did he get so strong? I think I hear my hand's bone crack! Pain splinters through my fingers, and I can't hold onto Bubbles's note. It slips from my grasp, my mouth agate with speechless words.

And he laughs. He laughs!

"Foolish girl. Thought you could escape me? I don't think so." He sneers, his voice much lower and devilish than I remember. Much more rugged too.

I force my tears away, not allowing him to get the satisfaction of me crying.

"You...bastard..." I whisper, shaking with affliction. He laughs louder at this, sinisterly. How can a mere human overpower me so?

"Is that **all **you have to say of me Buttercup? Come now, I thought you were tougher than such **rubbish.**" He kicks me right in the gut after that, near where my side was currently killing me already. I gasp loudly as I'm turned over and onto my other shoulder. If he weren't so strong, I wouldn't even have budged. Or felt anything.

Instead, my gut was s_ore_. How could that **be**?

"Ungrateful girl. You act as though I've done you wrong. Aren't you _happy_ about what happened between us? Lots of girls would trade places with you, if they could." He smolders me, but not in a good way. That's right; Mitch was one of the most popular bastards in school. And I have _no _idea **why**. He's not rich, he lives in a tractor trailer, and he's just **vile**. Who'd want to date a piece of sludge like him? He's a lot more arrogant than I remember.

"...Oh...yeah?" I choke out, fighting against my own intense pain, trying desperately to push myself up so I could beat the life out of him.

"I'll..._**never **_forget...what you...did to me!" I roar as loud and venomously as I can, but my attempt to sit up fails, and I slam back down onto the cold tile floor.

He laughs. I hate his laugh with a burning passion. I want to rip his vocal chords right out of his god damn throat! Watch the blood squirt every which way...

I wouldn't mind being evil if it meant I could kill **him**.

"Good. I was hoping for that. I _want _it to haunt you for the rest of your _miserable life. _Don't have much longer to go, anyway, from the looks of it." He snickers, a smirk planted on his ugly as fuck face.

I can feel my chest tighten at his words. The invisible hand around my heart grips harder on it, making me feel like it'll burst any second. I hold my breath, sweat racing down my temple and neck speedily. My eyes feel like they're about ready to burst out of their sockets.

"LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" I felt a hand on my arm, hauling me up. It was a strong one too, but I couldn't see it. I was turned the other way, after all, and had no strength left in me to sit up and look. I didn't doubt it was Mitch's though.

Fear shook my entire body and made me even weaker than I already felt. If that was at all possible. I could feel my tears swelling up all over again, but not from the pain. From the fright. He'd do something to me. He'd do something to me all over again, now that I was defenseless and alone. Thanks to the fresh tear drop on Bubbles's note, I knew my sisters wouldn't be coming back any time soon, and probably just left.

I was on my own.

And in years, I had never felt so damn **scared.**

I sucked in as much air as I could get my hands on and let out an earth shattering scream. One that'd surely cause an earth quake somewhere in the world. It was all I could do, all I could manage. I closed my eyes tight, bracing for the impact that would come. Bracing for the all too familiar feel of his body against mine. Bracing for the feel of it all over again...

"Buttercup? Buttercup!" Hey...that wasn't Mitch's voice. T-That was...

Slowly, tearfully, I opened my eyes and tried as best I could to turn my head towards the sound.

Aghast, I was in the arms of not Mitch...but Blossom. Her coral eyes were so freaked out, so worried, that I can no clue what to say or do.

Mitch was gone. The eerie mist surrounding him was gone.

I had my sister back.

I can't even describe the feeling that swelled inside me. The feelings of relief, of gratitude, of love. Thank God. Thank God!

"B-Blossom..." I squeaked out, my voice immensely shaky and broken. I had never heard my voice so cut up into pieces like that.

Or at least, I had heard it, about six years ago...

Blossom's eyes welled with tears of her own as she stared at me, frightfully.

"Oh Blossom!" I wrapped my arms around her and she put her head in the crook of my neck, her arms still supporting me, lifting me up bridal style. Usually I would've smacked her silly for such a move, but I was too weak. Too glad to see her.

"Buttercup!" She cried out, sobs escaping her wobbling throat. I sniffled, the pain I had felt moments ago fleeting, like a memory, but still there, only dimmer. Less intense. I took in the scent of her strawberry blonde hair as I burried my face in it around her neck. Vanilla with a hint of cherry blossoms. I peeked through her mass of sunset colored hair and saw Bubbles and the Professor were right behind her, hugging, crying. Just like us. They had missed me. They had found me.

...

_There was a girl who had a friend once. His name was Mitch. Mitch was her best friend in the whole world. He understood her, hung out with her, and made her smile bigger than anyone else ever could. They'd spend hours together, playing rough, chasing each other, getting into trouble, and just laughing sometimes. They'd laugh a lot around each other, sometimes for an hour straight, so it seemed._

_But time changes people. It morph_s _them into things they'd never thought they'd be. Age is a peculiar thing. With age, wisdom is supposed to come. Not for everyone though. Sometimes, people get stupider with age. Angrier. Meaner._

_But the two friends never thought that would happen to them. They thought they were immune to it. They thought time was something they could control, and that it was on their side. But time is on no one's side. Time is selfish. It ticks away whenever it wants to and doesn't stop for anyone. _

_Not even for friends like these._

_One day, the girl who had grown to trust and love Mitch so much, like a brother even, hit puberty. She was no longer just a little girl, and neither was he just a little boy. They were both older, thanks to time. They didn't think exactly the same anymore._

_Worse yet, they weren't honest with each other anymore. Mitch hid many devious thoughts from his friend, ones that would manifest sooner or later. The girl hid her growing feelings for Mitch, not understanding them at all. Plagued by them, even. _

_One day, they were at the park. One day, Mitch decided to let his devious thoughts turn into reality. He wanted to give it a shot. He wanted to see what would happen._

_The girl was unaware. She was willing to do anything he would suggest or do, flustered by her newfound feelings for him. Little did she know he had no intention of returning those feelings..._

_Not sincerely anyway._

_He'd eat them up and spit them out, as if they were garbage. As if they were nothing._

_He'd use those feelings to get whatever he wanted...he'd play off them well too. _

_It was the day at the park; the place the girl's life changed forever._

_It was that day at the park that made her hate life._

_And herself._

"Buttercup, are you _sure _you're okay?" Blossom asked for the fifteenth time and I let out a tired sigh, closing my eyes. Blossom continues to blow on the tea in her hands. Tea for me. Black tea without any sugar. My favorite.

"I'm fine." I insist, snuggling up inside my bed's covers. It never felt so comforting and warm as it did now to be home, in my own bed. Bubbles puts her hand on my head to check for a fever. She did that just a moment ago, why does she need to check again? I just told her I was fine, dammit!

"Would you knock it off?" I growl, but am to tired to say anything more. Blossom and Bubbles exchange worried looks.

"But Buttercup, we found you on the floor, screaming your head off in your sleep. We want to make sure you're okay.." Bubbles mumbles compassionately. Wait, in my s_leep_? My eyes shoot open at that one.

I meet my sister's peppy blue eyes directly.

"Did you say _sleep?_" I question, and she looks at Blossom for backup. Blossom nods, her face solemn. Bubbles looks back at me, her big blue eyes confused.

"Yeah, you were sleeping."

"Barely though. You kept screaming out a guy's name..." Blossom muttered, making my eyes wider than normal. If only to make them revert to being narrow and harsh, teeth clenched.

"_Mitch..._" I sneered, and Blossom looks up from the tea she's blowing on to look at me.

"Yeah, that name exactly!" She exclaimed, her coral pink eyes wide with agreement. They soon turn calculating though.

"Why would you be dreaming about him though? You don't even speak to the guy anymore..." Blossom mutters, stirring the tea some more, avoiding my gaze.

I turn on my side, teeth still clenched, suppressing a growl. How I despised him. It _couldn't _have been a dream though! He was **there**, right in front of me! How _else _could my hand still hurt so badly? I didn't tell my sisters that though. Also, I don't recall ever falling asleep _or w_aking up for that matter.

So...**how**?

"Buttercup...please don't be angry with us." Bubbles pleads, and I can almost picture her puppy dog eyes shining like jewels now. I don't bother to look though.

They think I'm angry with them? More like myself. And..._Mitch. _

But I'm always angry with Mitch.

"I'm not..." I grumble, inaudibly. I think this is the most we've all talked in a long time. Or at least, me talking to them. Maybe I'd talk to them every once in a while here and there, if mumbling and grunts count as 'talk'. But never together. Never as a group, all three of us. Those days were over, gone. We had our own lives to attend to.

"And don't _ever _run off again. You had us all worried **sick. **The Professor barely got any sleep last night, wondering where you were." Blossom told me, her voice demanding and firm. And neither did she, although she'd never admit that. Too proud.

It was obvious though. I could tell from the slight bags under her eyes and the tired sound in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah. Only I wasn't running off. I was just at a friend's house. You people panic too much man. So what? I didn't feel like going to see any counselor, big deal." I grumble, rolling my eyes, even though I knew it was unfair to all of them. Even though I still felt guilty for it. I think about Alanna, about how beautiful and popular she is. I bet her party was a smash hit, specially after _I _left.

Then, I think about Butch. Butch...

For some reason, I feel like I owe him something, and I hate that feeling. What did he do for tat was so special? All he did was take me into his grungy, depressing home, and put a beer bottle in my blouse. Freaking retard...

And yet...

He still could've left me at that party, passed out, unaware of everything around me. What stopped him? I would've been humiliated even more so if he left me there, probably making anyone as evil as him even more happy. Yet...

Blossom abruptly stops stirring my black tea and furrows her brows at me, snapping me out of my thoughts about _Butch._ For once, I'm kinda grateful she interrupted my thoughts. I was creeping _myself _out, thinking about him. The weirdo. How would my sisters feel, knowing he's back in Townsville?

"She's not a 'counselor'. She's a psychiatrist. Have some respect, will ya?" She implores, going back to stirring my tea, a bit faster than necessary.

My eye twitches in frustration at her comment and I sit up abruptly, making my hand into a fist.

"I have respect! But not for some old crow who's gonna try to teach me how to live my life, dammit!" I snap, my mouth flapping like a flag in the wind.

Blossom's eyes widen, but soon narrow into deadly slits.

"Oh shut up and sit back!" She hisses, as Bubbles props up the pillows behind my back. As if I was a mere door she could push around, Blossom shoves me into the pillows and hands me my tea, her face pissed off. I can always tell she's pissed off when her lips purse and her eyebrow arches dangerously high.

"Here, drink your stinking tea." She commands me, getting up off the chair she pulled next to my bed. I'm half tempted to smack the tea straight across the room, but I have to admit...it's rare for Blossom to serve me _anything._

I'll relish it while I can.

Smugly, a sinister smirk planted on my face, my eyes squinted at her evilly, I take it from her.

"Thanks, servant." I tease, taking a big chug of it. Her eyes look like they're on fire from that, and I try not to laugh out loud.

I missed teasing her like this. It was fun.

"Why you..!" She begins, her shoulders hunched and ready to fight, but Bubbles shoots her a look, pleading for her not to say anymore. Blossom sighs, and lets her shoulders drop, her eyes close.

"Whatever." She grumbles, "All I'm going to say is don't do this again, okay?"

I stare into the remainder of my tea and think. Really think.

If I did this again, what would happen? Would they be able to take it?

I've already tried running away for real once, and that was just two years ago. This wasn't running away, but it must've worried them as much. I mean, how were they to know I wasn't flying across the continent? A twinge of guilt surged it's way up from my soul and made me regret not calling them sooner. I should be more aware of my family's feelings.

They really do care, after all.

"Buttercup..." It's Blossom's voice. I guess I was silent too long.

".._Please._" Her voice is begging, pleading to make me stay here. To make me say yes, I won't do this again. I look up, shocked to hear such weakness and frailty in her voice, and am even more shocked by the hurt and the torn look gleaming in her eyes.

I didn't have the heart to refuse it. Bubbles watched the both of us as she bit her fake silver tips. Or appeared to be biting them. She never really bit her fingernails, just gently nibbled on them to ease tension. I don't recall her once losing a fingernail because she bit it off.

"...Okay, fine. I won't go anywhere..." I grumble, and I can hear Blossom sigh in relief. I don't look at her though, I continue to stair at my tea. Blossom had made it good. Not bad at all, actually.

"Good..." She smiles, but it's a sad smile, as if she'd rather not be having this conversation, "I'm going to go check on the Professor." And just like that, she leaves. I watch the door close to my room and can't help wondering how much I've hurt her. _Really _hurt her.

Blossom may be strong and highly intellectual- beyond compare- but even she hides her emotions half the time. Keeps them bundled up for only herself to see.

And I just saw it. I doubt I saw nearly the whole scope of it though. What if she was hurt even deeper by my actions than I presumed her to be?

It only made me hate myself more, and shamefully, I drank the rest of my tea, and fell asleep without merely a glance towards Bubbles.

_I'm sorry Blossom._

_Ohhhh...well then! What did you all think? Liked it? Loved it? Hungry for more? Review, and perhaps I'll be speedier this time with an update! Haha. I thank summer for that. I can work on my stories more now! =) Expect more updates...but know this much: I'm also writing stories out of fanfiction because my goal is to become a publish author! So that'll occupy my time too. Please understand! Thank you,...I'll let you all know if I ever reach my goal~! =) Sorry if there were any spelling mistakes...Thanks!_


	6. A Good Laugh

_I have NOT kept my promise to you all. And for that? I apologize greatly. Truth is, I can't update as frequently as I want to, no matter what. I have a LOT going on in my life right now. Too much to explain in public. So please...forgive me? I'm being bombarded with MULTIPLE things right now, even though it IS summer. I'm sorry if this hurts to hear, because I know you all love this story and other works of mine. =( But I won't give up! I WILL continue to update, even if it takes a while! =) Thanks for ALL the support. I just want to say how utterly SHOCKED I am at ALL the reviews I'm getting! I only have 5 chapter up and ALREADY I have over 80 reviews? That's uncanny! Thank you ALL soooo much! I hope you continue to review! Now...Lets get on with the story! ;D _

DICLAIMER: I do NOT own the PPG, the RRB, Townsville, or anything else...unless I made it up and you don't recognize it. ;)

**BTW: The PPG and RRB have NORMAL features and the PPG are 18. The RRB are 17.**

**Becoming**

**Chapter 6: A Good Laugh**

**P.O.V.: Buttercup**

Sunday passes with no amount of smoothness. It's awkward.

Dinner was short and silent. No body really talked, least of all the professor. He just ate, drank, and then locked himself in his lab downstairs.

I'm sure he didn't know what to say to me. I had really worried him, after all. My sisters were no better, making small talk awkwardly, mainly between each other. The whole day had gone by slowly; too slowly.

I was actually quite relieved for Monday to come along. It meant school; an escape from this awkward prison.

Never thought I'd hear myself say that. But today was Monday, and I was grateful for it.

"I'm going." I grumbled out, not waiting for a reply or company as I headed out the door. My sisters never came to school with me anyway. Bubbles always hitched a ride with her friends and Blossom always took the city bus with one of her besties across the block.

Me? I just flew. Like we used to, so long ago.

Sky rocketing into the air, the breeze felt nice as it tousled my raven black hair. Soothingly so.

I watched the ground grow smaller and smaller and I flew higher and higher. The clouds were starting to mesh with my line of sight, and I even dared to go through them, darting past their fluffy white goodness. They reminded me of marshmallows. Only less edible.

I closed my eyes, letting the chill of the air around me wrap around my body. It felt nice.

I had breeched the outskirts of the clouds. It looked like a strange, disoriented, but beautiful ocean. As if above me was the ocean and below me were the strange white puffs of 'sand'.

A smile struggled its way onto my lips as I opened my eyes to the spectacular view. Flying never gets old.

When I was little, my sisters and I would breech just beyond the cloud cover all the time, playing, swooping around one another. It had been fun, and several giggles had escaped my lips back then.

Now, I was lucky if a smile came at all.

"Things are so different." I mumbled to myself, my eyes drooping a bit as I stare at the white puff balls just below my feet. I missed that. I missed feeling loved and understood.

I missed my family.

But no matter what, I could never go back to being the old me. The me I longed to be.

I wasn't good enough. I wasn't the same.

During my dark days, as I like to call them, I would sulk around the house and not utter a word to _anyone._ I wouldn't even leave my room unless it meant food. Or to go to the bathroom. I wouldn't even go to school. I told everyone I was sick. Which wasn't a complete lie; I did feel sick. The aftermath of what had happened had that affect on me... but that wasn't really it.

It was after the professor found out I wasn't sick physically that he started sending me to a shrink. I've been going to that same shrink for at least four years. Definitely more. It wasn't helping.

If I couldn't talk to my own family about what happened, how could I talk to a complete stranger?

Days and nights alike would go by like water dripping from a faucet; slowly and annoyingly.

I could barely take it; the stress, the anxiety, the depression, the shock.

I found myself crying a lot too- more so than ever before. I never cried...before my dark days.

In a way, I'm still in those dark days. But I'm starting to get better. Adapt.

I'll never be the same tho.

"I wish I could mold into someone else..." I whispered to the clouds, closing my eyes again, "And not be Buttercup Utonium anymore."

It would never happen.

...

At school, you didn't talk to me.

If you did, you'd be labeled a traitor and a weirdo. You didn't sit next to me at lunch either. That was a strict 'no-no'. If you did, people would laugh at you and point fingers at you, saying there must be something wrong with you. Your friends would probably avoid you for the rest of the day too.

But there was one person who seemed to surpass these laws other than my own sisters. Although, to be honest, they never talked to me in school anyway. People would understand if they would, but they still didn't.

No, the one person who surpassed these rules was Alanna.

My only true friend.

You'd know her if you saw her. Everyone does. Long brown hair up to her waist? Hazel orbs that read into your soul? Tan skin that glowed like gold? Coral pink lips that screamed for attention? That was Alanna. She's like a Goddess in this school, so it's quite surprising she even dares to associate with me. But Alanna wasn't like that. She wasn't stuck up or cruel.

She was completely different.

And she was also standing right beside me.

"Buttercup, where did you go on Saturday?" She queries, her dark eyelashes fluttering towards me, "I didn't see you around after I was done playing my game."

"You mean reading people?" I smirk, walking towards my class as slowly as possible. I was in no rush to get to math.

She smiles big, showing off her pearly whites.

"It's what I do best! Got to keep up my psychic energy, you know." She laughs and I look ahead and away from her. The hallway is stark empty.

"Yeah, you Druids love doing stuff like that, don't ya?" Alanna was a Druid. She could conduct witchcraft through nature. So much so she claimed to even hear plants, animals, and even the four elements speaking to her.

I believed her though. After all, who am I to judge? I'm super powered myself, aren't I?

"That we do. You want to hang out after school today? My parents won't mind having you for dinner." She smiles grandly, flipping back some of her lush, chocolate brown waves.

"Are they going to eat me baked or fried?" I tease, making her roll her eyes.

"You know what I mean, silly." She chastises me.

"Yeah, yeah. I know." I smirk just a tad bit.

"So? Will you?" She stops in her tracks, putting her hands on her hips expectantly, facing me.

I stop too and stare at her, holding the straps of my backpack awkwardly.

What does this girl see in me?

"You really enjoy my company, don't you?" I grumble, a bit puzzled by her actions. Like usual.

A part of me can never get past how someone like her could hang out with someone like me. Frequently too.

Her piercing hazel eyes stare into my forest green ones sincerely.

"Buttercup." She coos, "I'm your friend. Of course I do. Now stop scurrying around the question. Will you come?"

I look down at my feet, ratty sneakers from one year ago covering them. I need new ones but don't have the money to buy them.

"I guess so. For your parents." I shrug casually, kicking at the ground feebly.

"Great." She rolls her eyes, "I'm forever in your debt." Sarcasm oozes off her voice and I laugh at it for only a split second.

"Tell them I said thanks. I'll stop by around 5, okay? There's something I have to do after school first." He look at her, my eyes resolute.

Her stares at me, trying to read me, no doubt. Her lips purse and she looks like she's not about to trust me.

"What are you up to, BC?" She queries, her voice slithery and sly. That's when the late bell rings.

I let out a toothy smirk and salute her. I wasn't about to tell her anything any time soon.

"See ya around Alanna." I dart away from her, suppressing a laugh. Which doesn't happen too often, I admit. She watches me leave, unaffected by the bell, her eyes trailing me like missiles.

"I sure hope so."

...

I couldn't believe I was doing this. But here I stood.

121 Cromwell Avenue.

'I must be insane.' I think to myself, letting my backpack slump off my shoulders.

School had gone by awfully enough. An average day of glares, whispers, and giggles all directed towards me. Nothing unusual about that at all.

Seems a lot of people tend to forget that I could rip them in two, if I wanted.

Math class had been rigorous, as usual. The teacher doesn't like me. She calls on me on purpose, just to make me squirm in my seat. I never know the answer and don't even try to fake it. It infuriates her when I just stare at her and shrug my shoulders after she asks me a question.

She's sent me to detention more than once. And more than once, I haven't even bothered going to it.

Oh well.

But this? This seemed even more outlandish and ridiculous then Mrs. Ohar's math class or detention. This was just plain weird.

'Why am I here?' I ask myself as I stair at the stoop before me. Weeds are growing in and around it, cracks on the pavement beside it. The words _'Cromwell Rentals'_ are faded and hanging on a small sign racked against the grungy old complex. The whole place looked abandoned.

So why be here?

I sighed, thinking about the last time I was here. It was just a few days ago.

I had left abruptly, rudely. I hadn't even considered the act of kindness that went on in this small little abode before I left.

The kindness that Butch had shown me himself.

My face was flushed. I could feel myself go beet red at the thought of him helping out the way he did. Taking me, his enemy, to his home. Meanwhile, I had passed out in his arms at a party. He could've left me there. He could've made me an even bigger laughing stock than I already was...

Why didn't he?

'I guess that's what I came here to find out.' I told myself, sucking in a breath. I straightened my spine and looked towards the stoop that lead to the grungy city door.

Gathering courage, I started to walk. One foot at a time. One step at a time.

When I finally reached the door, I could feel my heart skip a beat.

'Why so nervous?' I challenged myself, 'Calm down. He's just a boy.'

But boys were my sworn enemies other than the actual villains in this stinkin' city. Ones that have gone long underground after many battles and fights from younger days.

Happier days.

I open the door. There is a small space inside of it I remember storming past. A bunch of buttons are on the wall, ringers to different apartments. There are small, narrow mailboxes made of cheap tin and metal placed underneath the buzzers. A few of them are void, completely abandoned, but some have names plastered on it via stickies.

A green sticky with the name '_Butch Jojo_' scribbled on it was smack dab in the middle of those mailboxes, looking straight at me. How charming. Under the sticky was the apartment number. He was apartment 'S2'.

"Thanks mailbox." I mumbled, my heart still pounding.

I look up at the buzzer to see a button conveniently placed next to the number 'S2'.

"Well...here goes nothing." I mumble under my breath.

I press the button.

I gulp, feeling insecure.

'I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be doing this. I should've gone _straight_ to Alanna's.' I think, panicking. I'm actually just about ready to dart out of the small little room when I hear a voice call out to me over the intercom.

"Who is it?" A male, husky voice calls out from the intercom directly above the buzzers.

I jump at it, not expecting it. I know who it is though. Right away too.

I wince, regretting this visit. Biting my lip, I inhale a sharp breath. It smells like dirty socks in here...

"Well?" He growls, waiting for an answer. Impatient as ever.

"It's- It's me!" I holler after what feels like an hour. I hate the way my voice sounds. I feel vulnerable.

"'Me'?" He mocks, "Who's 'me'?" He spits, obviously not in a very friendly mood.

I sigh and look towards the door that I entered this stinky little place in. I'm tempted to just leave...

"Me as in..." I look towards the intercom, defeated, "Buttercup."

There. My secrets out. No backing down now...

There's a pause. A long one, it seems. And then, "Buttercup?" His voice has changed. It sounds curious and shocked.

"Yeah..." I grumble, looking down at my ratty shoes.

"What are you doing here?" He ponders, his voice much more lighthearted than before.

"I came to talk. Buzz me in?" I ask, pushing a strange of my hair behind my ear.

"Uh...yeah. Sure! Just...hold on. One second." He sounds almost happy. Which strikes me odd.

I look around in a confused manner.

"Okay." I drag out the 'kay' part.

I sigh, the hard part over. At least I've made a bit of progress. I lean against the wall, hands behind my back. I stare at the ceiling.

It feels weird talking to Butch casually. The last time I saw him before Saturday, he had been so mean and cruel. So hell bent on destroying Townsville, me, and my sisters.

What had changed? Was he good now?

Or was he just confused? Why was he back? And where were his brothers? What about them? Were they still evil?

I was almost glad for the harsh buzzing sound that interrupted my thoughts; I shouldn't care so much about Butch anyway. He was still an enemy, after all.

'Then why are you here?' I challenge myself.

With a grunt, I don't answer that question, and reach for the door that leads up to his apartment. It opens.

Immediately, I see two shady figures hovering near an apartment door smokey. A man with wrinkled hands and short sleeves stares at me through sunglasses that look like they were made in the 80's. He looks like he's in his early 60s. A woman who must be 80 but thinks she's 20 is wearing a tight shirt that looks 4 sizes too small for her, her wrinkled belly button showing. She's wearing two tons of makeup and a pair of peacock feather earrings that overshadow her. Her hair is completely grey, but she has it long and thin, much like her body. She was so thin she was verging on anorexic.

I darted my eyes away from the odd couple as the creepy old man smirked at me, eyeing my body in a perverted manner. Hurriedly, I rush up the stairs towards Butch's apartment, not bothering to look back at the strange people below me.

Strangely enough, I was almost too relieved to see Butch's slightly astonished face when he opened his door for me.

"Out of all the people, you're the last person I expected to ring my bell." He admits candidly, his dark, forest green eyes searching mine. I try not to let myself look away, I try to be strong and challenge his gaze, but my eyes eventually drift down towards my feet.

"Yeeeeah." I murmur awkwardly, "Can I sit?" I nod towards his living room in back of him. He looks at it quickly and then nods at me, gesturing for me to walk past him.

"Suit yourself."

I quickly scurry past him, relieved when he finally closes the door to his strange hallway.

Thinking about the way that old man eyed me makes me shiver...

Plopping down on his ratty couch, I stare silently at his television. The one that's still broken, thanks to Butch throwing his remote control at it during my previous visit.

"So..." He begins awkwardly, still standing near his door. From the corner of my eye, I can see him running his fingers through his hair. Why hadn't I noticed it before? He was all wet; he must've just stepped out of the shower.

I forced a blush away that threatened to engulf my whole face.

"You really need to get this fixed." I quickly speak, my words coming out more harsh then I wanted them to.

His eyes dart towards the television.

"What, you mean that?" He shrugs, "It can wait."

I don't know what to say. I feel like a deer in headlights.

_Why did I come?_

Ugh...stupid, stupid, stupid!

"So." I repeat after him. I hadn't realized it but I'm gripping his couch with both my hands and my feet are planted sternly to the floor. Anchored there. My back isn't even touching the couch, it's pin straight.

I must look like a freakin' statue.

"Why did you return to Townsville?" I suddenly blurt out, not bothering to look his way. Instead, I study his floor as if it's the most fascinating thing this side of town.

"Huh." He half grunts, half chuckles, "You came here just to interrogate me?"

I watch from my side vision as he draws closer to me. He's coming to sit down next to me.

_Shit._

Instead, he walks right past me and towards the 'dining room' area. On his rickety table lays a newspaper. He picks it up and pretends to examine it. Like he's interested.

"I don't like being interrogated." He informs me, sneaking a glance my way, over his shoulder. I try to ignore what little he's wearing...but it's hard.

He's got a great physic. One that makes me think of Bubbles's magazines lining the bathroom floor. He looks like a male model that popped out of the pages of those magazines. I swear it. And it didn't help much that he wasn't wearing a shirt. In fact, it made me quite uncomfortable. I was getting a little nervous.

"Go put something on. At least _try _to look decent." I growl out, looking towards his broken television. He huffs at this, amused.

"Says the girl who's wearing ratty sneakers and socks up to her ankles." He scoffs, causing me to flush with anger.

How dare he mock my outfit! It wasn't my fault I had no money to buy a new pair of sneakers! I didn't look _that bad_ anyway...did I?

I quickly glanced down at my shirt; a graphic tee that was white and had green cursive writing on the front of it. I couldn't read what it said. I was also wearing a denim skort, one that was old and faded. It had some rips at the edges of it, not like I cared.

Topped off with all that was my jade bracelet, green hair clip, and my old sneakers and thick, long socks.

Did I look so awful he had to comment on it?

"Hey!" I growl out, looking at him, infuriated, "I don't look like crap!" I was kind of surprised by how defensive I was right now. Usually, I don't care about how I look. In fact, if someone doesn't like how I dress, and they tell me, I usually just shrug it off.

"I never said you looked like crap." He cocked an eyebrow at that, turning towards me, leaning against his table. Studying me.

"Oh." Is all I can say. I frown and look away. He had a point...

He didn't.

"The hair clip is new. It looks cute." He snickers, but I just roll my eyes.

"Are you going to answer me or not Butchie boy?" I growl out, "Cause if not, I'll just leave."

"What's the rush?" His smile catches me off guard. He looks smug but endearing at the same time, his forest green eyes digging into mine.

"After all, I haven't even offered you a beer yet."

"I don't drink." I grunt.

"Oh? Your loss." He shrugs, "You gonna sit like that all day? You look constipated."

"Will you shut your trap already?" I hiss, darting my eyes towards him venomously. I was regretting this. Deeply.

"Not until you tell me why you're here." He smirks, taking the newspaper and rolling it up into a cylinder.

'I'm here because I want to know why you did it. Why you brought me back here Saturday night.' I think, but don't have the gall to say. I doubt he'd answer me anyway.

I roll my eyes and get up.

"Look. It was a stupid move. I was in the neighborhood."

"Yeah? I don't recall you living near here."

"What? A girl can't move?" I narrow my eyes at him, folding my arms. He smacks the rolled newspaper against his other hand's palm.

"I doubt your family would move to the slums Buttercup."

I blink. He was right. We wouldn't. We made enough money to stay where we were. Moving around here would be degrading; specially for my sisters.

"Yeah? Well who says I'm living with family anymore?"

"Buttercup." Butch looks bored now, "You told me the last time you were here you had to go back to them."

Shit, I forgot that.

"Ugh, look. Whatever. You won't answer me, so why should I answer you?" I challenge him, glaring away. He frowns now and lets a sigh escape his lips. He lets the newspaper unroll and places it back down onto the table in back of him.

"You really wanna know why I moved back?" He asks, his back facing me again, his voice softer.

"Yeah. I do."

Silence ticks by and no answer comes. He seems to be staring at the table, zoned out.

I'm getting impatient.

"I don't know why I came back." He suddenly admits, his voice drenched with confusion.

My eyebrows raise at that.

"No reason? You don't want to terrorize the town?" I ask, puzzled, "Are you telling me you're-"

"No." He suddenly growls out, turning around to face me, his eyes venomous, "I am _not _fucking tell you I'm **good.**" The threatening nature in his voice kind of takes me back. I didn't expect it.

But I didn't fight it either. I just blinked, staring at him.

"Fine." I say calmly, "You do what you want. I won't stop you."

It's his turn to be taken back now. His eyes lose their fury and widen, in a sort of shock. I hadn't realized it, but he had hunched over a bit when he said what he did. Now, he straightened up.

"What?" He blinks, "You're not going to stop me?"

I look at his floor again and kick at it sheepishly. My sisters wouldn't be too proud of me right now, if they could hear what I was saying. But they couldn't. They weren't involved in my life. They didn't even know where I was right now.

So I didn't care what I said.

"Just as long as you stay away from my family." I shrug, "I don't care what you do. Go rob a bank for all I care. Your call."

He's speechless. He certainly didn't expect me to ever speak to him so freely, so casually. Let alone speak casually about his evil doings.

"Buttercup..." He trails off. He way he says my name...it makes me shiver a bit. Did I detect a hint of shame in his voice?

"What?" I spat, looking at him sharply now, defensively, "I could care less about this stupid town." I admit. I've never admitted that to anyone.

His eyebrows furrow and he breaks his gaze with me, looking down at the ground in thought.

"I'd never think to hear you say that..." He confides, and for some strange reason, I feel liek running away. I feel like crying.

I feel ashamed I let my inner most feelings gush out to him like that. I've never admitted that to anyone before. Why him? Of ALL people?

"Whatever." I grumble, not able to look him in the eyes.

"...But you're a Powerpuff." He's in denial, "You **should **care."

I feel like he's reprimanding me, like he's trying to condemn me. Him of all people too.

I flush from anger and look him in the eyes.

"Whys it matter to you anyways?" I yell, "I thought you'd be happy about it!"

He looks at me, absorbing this statement in like a sponge.

He slowly nods.

"I'm surprised. But...I'm not sure I'm happy about it."

Why not? He can do whatever he wants now. I won't stop him. Why _shouldn't _he be happy?

"Why not?" I hiss. He looks at me intently.

"Your sisters won't share your views and they'd get in my way. Even if you wouldn't. And that involves your family, right?"

He had a point.

I stifled a sigh as I looked away from him.

"I guess." I mumble.

"...What caused you to think like this?"

"I've been thinking like this."

"Since when?"

"Since..."

I can't say it. I won't say it. I've never said it. I never will.

I bite my lip, but make my face look angry, so as to not look vulnerable and upset.

"A while." Is what I think up.

He looks bored with such an answer.

"Really?" He drags out, "'A while'?"

"Yes. _A while._" I hiss impatiently, "Why do you need to know?"

"I just find it odd is all. I think you don't mean that."

"WHAT?"

"I said..." His eyes narrow on mine cautiously, "I think you don't mean that. I think you're just saying it out of anger. Can't imagine why tho..."

My eyes tighten on his as well, and I feel my heart crumble under pressure. Did I mean it? Or was...Butch right?

"Look. It's whatever. Okay?" I grumble, "Lets talk about something else."

"Yeah." He smirks, "Like why you're _here._ Last time I checked, you were storming out of this place like a bat out of hell."

I rolled my eyes at this.

"Yes, because bats can totally storm out of places."

His eyes droop in a bored manner again.

"You know what I mean." His voice is solemn and final.

I sighed. I had to admit, he was right. I had raced out of here. Inconsiderately too.

"..Look. I.." I tilted my head to the side and stared past him, at his wall, hiding a blush, "I...I came here to say I'm sorry for that. That you were being kind and I was being-"

"An impulsive jerk?" He smirks, his eyes playfully smoldering. I glance at him quickly and hug myself, looking away abruptly. For the first time today in his apartment, I let myself smile. Just a little bit though.

"Yeah, you could say that."

"...I accept your apology." He smiles. He likes to astonish me, doesn't he?

I look at him to see he's smirking at me, but in a kindly manner, his eyes warm. That look...it makes my heart beat quicker than it should. And then there's the no shirt to top it all off...

EH! LISTEN TO ME! I sound like some deluded fan girl! We were enemies! I shouldn't feel like that... Like this.

I quickly jerk my eyes away from his and look at the floor, folding my arms.

"Good. Cause I'm not about to apologize ever again. It's a rare occasion...you know? You should feel honored."

"Oh, I AM your majesty." He snickers, throwing in a mock bow, "How ever may I show my gratitude?" He teased.

Another smile spreads its way onto my lips, my heartbeat still faster than it should be.

"You may make amends by answering all of my questions without hesitation." I inform him, "There's no other way to honor me!"

"Oh, I see." He smirks, his eyes lighting up a bit, "What would you like to know your majesty?"

I can't believe this. Am I really doing this? Am I really being..._flirty?_

A shiver of excitement rushes up my spine as I smile a bit bigger, only a inch or so though.

"We'll start with why you decided to bring me back here in the first place- how about that?" I stopped folding my arms, stopped being so defensive. It astonished me to believe I could be this open and carefree.

What was Butch doing to me?

He blinked, staring at me dumbfounded. For the briefest moment, I could've _sworn _I saw a hint of a blush flash across his face...

But it was gone too soon to be sure.

"Oh...erm...that?" He speaks nervously now, running a hand through his wet hair. I've never seen it flat like that. I'm so used to his hair spiked that it almost looks unnatural. I wonder if he feels the same.

"Can I just...get changed first?" He asks a bit shyly, making me wonder what his answer to my question is.

I cock up an eyebrow but shrug.

"Suit yourself. Just don't keep me waiting too long."

"Okey dokey, your majesty." He smirks, his confidence rushing back as he _winks _at me.

_Winks!_

If it's not weird enough I'm standing here right now, smiling, flirting, seeing him shirtless, _and _talking casually... then this just topped the scale!

What are we, old friends? No! We're not?

Why are we acting like we are then?

I frowned deeply and folded my arms as he entered his room.

No. We're not friends. I'll be more cold to him when he comes out. I'll fix the error I've just made. It'll be easy...

Then...why was it part of me didn't _want _to fix it?

"I have issues..." I grumble to myself as I walk towards his table. The table is neat but bland. Nothing sits on it but the newspaper. The front headlines are about a man who slept with a 14 year old. I shivered at the thought.

Of course Butch would pick up a newspaper like that. He was a guy, wasn't he? And the picture of the slutty 14 year old was slutty enough, sprawled out on the front page like it was a men's magazine.

However, as I flipped through the pages of the newspaper, I was a bit baffled to see Butch had written in it. It was page 4, near the story of the pedophile and the 14 year old.

He wrote: _Note #25: Men like this make me sick. Should be hanged. Girls like this are even worse though and should be slapped. I miss the old days when crime was actually thoughtful and took at least some brains to commit. Not just your lower half. _

I had to say I was astonished. I had to re-read the little note he had written in order to make sure it was real.

Was Butch actually trying to be...civil? And how many of these 'notes' has he written? It says this was note 25. Where were the rest? In other newspapers? What, does he monitor crime or something? Why?

"It's a hobby of mine, you see." His voice startles me, to say the least. I jump and look back at him, my face flushed. Meanwhile, he oozes cool as he leans casually against his bedroom door frame. I envy his calm demeanor.

"What? Keeping track of crime?" I sneer, not meaning to, because I was actually impressed. From what I've read...somehow, his comment seemed...classy. I can't describe it.

"You could say that." He smirks, "Call it what you will, but I don't like crime now a days. No one is original anymore. No one goes out on a limb. It's all sex and murder. It bores me, really..."

I blink, amused.

"Does it?"

He's wearing a dark green t-shirt now, paired with the black pants he had on before when I walked in the door. And his hair is spiked up again. Does he keep a portable mirror and some gel in his room or something?

"Yup." He starts to walk towards me, his eyes locked on mine, "It does. But a better question is...why are you looking through my stuff BC?" He smirks, making me a little nervous. He's close to me now. Too close.

I feel flustered, disoriented.

I look away from him and close the newspaper harsher than necessary.

"I'm not." I grunt.

"Yeah, not anymore." He rolls his eyes with a huff. I can almost smell his cologne...that's how close he is...

"Hey. Don't try to get out of this. I want an answer to what I asked you before." I demanded of him, my eyes like daggers as I look back at him. He just stares at me.

"But Buttercup," He looks away this time, not me, "I...I've got a lot to do today."

"Yeah?" I put my hands on my hips, glaring, "Like what?"

"Stuff." He looks back at me, his eyes a bit conspicuous.

"Like?"

"Stuff you wouldn't understand." He's getting annoyed now, his eyes narrowing it.

"I think I can manage." I smirk bitterly.

"No. You most certainly _can't._ Now leave me alone." He growls, walking past me and into his claustrophobic kitchen. He opens his mini fridge and stares into it, the cool air hitting his face.

"Leave you alone? Wasn't it you who wanted me to stay for a beer?" I huff, trying not to laugh.

I can see his eyes roll as he reaches for a beer.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say mom." He slams his little fridge shut, rattling it, and pops open the beer with just his thumb, guzzling it down.

I watch him, my face slowly becoming smug. I think I get what's going on now...

"I get it." I smirk smugly, "You can't admit to me the truth because you're in denial. You _like _me, don't cha?" I was just joking mind you. However...

He nearly chokes to death on his beer when I say that, it's content gurgling out of his mouth and spewing onto the floor in a matter of seconds. He whips his head to me, his eyes flashing with deadly rage.

"_What?_" He hisses, his voice as harsh as can be. My face doesn't change though. In fact, I'm actually _stifling a laugh._

"What? Don't agree?"

"EW, NO!" He shouts a little too loudly, "Why would I like a smug little _bitch_ like you?" Without thinking, he crushes the beer bottle in his hand, it's glass and contents splattering all over the kitchen.

"Shit!" He hollers, eyeing his dripping wet hand.

I can't help it; I _laugh. _The sound is so loud, so happy, so easy going that it even shocks Butch into looking at me. I haven't laughed like this in _ages._

It feels strange, unnatural...and yet, here I am. _Laughing._

And...in front of Butch.

His eyebrows furrow, his mouth slightly agate, dumbfounded, as beer grips from his hand down onto his floor.

"Huh?" He blinks, just listening to me laugh. Tears spill out from my eyes in joy. I've never laughed this hard...

"I...I just...I was just..." I can't even _speak! _That's how hard I'm laughing.

I want to say 'I was just joking. Kidding.'

But...I can't! I'm laughing too hard. I'm sure Butch'll be angry at me...

Angry that I made him destroy his 'oh so sacred beer,' and that I said what I did.

But...instead...

He astonishes me yet again. He started to smile. He looks like he doesn't want to, but can't help it.

"H-Hey! Stop laughing at me!" He stomps his foot like a little kid, but I can't help it, I continue. It feels...good.

And then, in no time at all, he's laughing with me. We're laughing. Together.

"You know Buttercup," He laughs out, his eyes beaming radiantly into mine, "You're really fuckin' weird."

"Thanks." I laugh out, finally catching my breath enough to speak.

We both come to a slow stop, sighing in relief. He stares at me, and I stare at him, the smallest of smiles plastered on our faces. But sincere ones, no less.

"...You're welcome." He whispers.

_EEEEKKK! Okay, I hope you all enjoyed the fluff in this chapter! At least I finally got around to updating it...right? Better than nothing? Hope you loved it! I HOPE that the next chapter will come out soon, but I can't be sure. I'll be starting school August 23__rd__! I'll be a college girl! I can't believe it; it's going to be great! Sadly though, it'll mean a LOT of work and I'll be busy much more so than ever before. I'm sure. So I'm not sure when I'll be updating, if at all. I'll do my best though! Sorry for any spelling errors! Please review! Thank you! =)_


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